Pembrokeshire County Council Cyngor Sir Penfro
CHILDREN & SCHOOLS
Establishment of a new 3-11 Welsh Medium Primary School in the Pembroke area
CONSULTATION REPORT
Steven Richards-Downes Chief Education Officer
February 2020
Published by:
Pembrokeshire County Council Children & Schools Directorate County Hall Haverfordwest SA61 1TP
February 2020
For a copy of this publication in Braille, in larger print or audio tape, or an alternative language, please contact Pembrokeshire County Council on 01437 776613
Foreword
Pembrokeshire County Council is responsible for promoting high educational standards and for delivering efficient primary and secondary education. Having the right schools in the right places and ensuring that they are fit for the 21st century learner is a challenge facing councils across Wales.
Meeting this challenge involves reviewing the number and type of school the Council has in its area and assessing whether or not best use is being made of its resources and facilities.
The Council reviews its provision on the basis of: Quality and future sustainability of educational provision Sufficiency and accessibility of school places The condition, suitability and standard of school buildings Value for money
This Consultation Report sets out the findings of the statutory consultation undertaken with regard to expanding Welsh medium provision in the Pembroke area, and specifically the establishment of a new 3-11 Welsh medium primary school. All responses received during the consultation period are recorded, together with a summary of each of the issues raised by consultees. These are accompanied by a clarification or rejection (as appropriate) of any concerns.
Pembrokeshire County Council will consider this Consultation Report at its meeting on 27th February 2020.
Steven Richards-Downes Chief Education Officer
Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. Distribution of Consultation Report 2
3. Consultation Arrangements 3 3.1. General Arrangements 3.2. Stakeholder Meetings
4. Consultation Correspondence 4 4.1. Volume and Profile of Responses received 4.2. Response from Estyn
5. Consultation Responses 5 5.1. General consensus 5.2. Parental views 5.3. Views of respondents identifying with individual schools 5.4. Pupil views 5.5. Analysis of comments made during the consultation 5.6. Identification of themes arising from the consultation
APPENDIX A – Response from Estyn 13
APPENDIX B – Correspondence received 16
1. Introduction
Pembrokeshire County Council has a statutory duty to secure sufficient and suitable school places in its area and to determine whether it is making the best use of the resources and facilities to deliver the opportunities that children deserve.
Pembroke and Pembroke Dock were identified in the Council’s current Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (2017-2020) as a potential growth area with regards to Welsh medium education provision and a survey to identify need was subsequently undertaken in the summer of 2019. The outcome of this survey, together with historic and current parental preference for Welsh medium provision was presented to the county council on 18th July 2019 with a recommendation to consult on a proposal to establish a new 3-11 Welsh medium primary school in the Pembroke and Pembroke Dock area.
The decision of Pembrokeshire County Council on 18th July 2019 was as follows:
That approval be given to the Director for Children and Schools to undertake statutory consultation on the following: i. To establish a new 3-11 Welsh medium primary school to serve the Pembroke and Pembroke Dock area, and ii. To alter the medium of instruction at Ysgol Gelli Aur / Golden Grove School so that all teaching is conducted through the medium of English.
The subsequent statutory consultation was undertaken during the period 14th November 2019 to 31st December 2019.
This document represents the County Council’s responsibility as part of the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 to publish a Consultation Document. This document: Summarises each of the issues raised by consultees; Responds to these issues by means of clarification or rejection of the concerns with supporting reasons, and Sets out Estyn’s view of the overall merits of the proposal.
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2. Distribution of Consultation Report
This Consultation Report will be distributed to the following:
The Governing Bodies/Temporary Governing Bodies, Parents/Carers/Guardians and Staff of: Ysgol Gelli Aur/Golden Grove School Pembroke Dock Community School Cosheston VC School Monkton Priory Community School Lamphey CP School Ysgol Harri Tudur Penrhyn VC School Ysgol Hafan y Mor Pennar Community School Ysgol Caer Elen Ysgol y Preseli Angela Burns AM – Constituency Cllr T Hodgson Helen Mary Jones AM – Regional Cllr P Llewelyn Joyce Watson AM – Regional Cllr J Harvey Eluned Morgan AM – Regional Cllr A Carey Neil Hamilton AM – Regional Cllr A Wilcox Simon Hart MP Cllr B Hall Cllr A Brinn Cllr P Dowson Cllr S Alderman Cllr J Beynon NUT The following Town or Community NASUWT Councils: UCAC Cosheston NEU Pembroke Dock ATL Pembroke NAHT Hundleton ASCLE Angle, UNISON Stackpole & Castlemartin GMB Lamphey Diocesan Directors of Education: Carmarthenshire County Council St David’s Ceredigion County Council Menevia The Welsh Ministers Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin Estyn Menter Iaith Sir Benfro Welsh Language Commissioner Urdd Gobaith Cymru ERW – Regional Education Learning Pembrokeshire (Welsh for Consortium Adults) Independent/Voluntary early Dyfed Powys Police and Crime years/Childcare providers Commissioner
In addition, this report will be distributed to all consultees who have specifically requested to be advised of its availability.
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3. Consultation Arrangements
3.1 General Arrangements The Consultation Document was published on 14th November 2019; this date also represented the beginning of the statutory consultation period. The consultation period ended on 31st December 2019. The Consultation Document was distributed / links sent to all statutory consultees listed on Page 5 of that document.
The Consultation Document was made available on the County Council’s website at www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/haveyoursay.
3.2 Stakeholder Meetings The following meetings were arranged with stakeholders:
Staff, Governors and Parents Monday 25th November 2019 – Ysgol Gelli Aur/Golden Grove CP School
Staff – 16:00 Governing Body – 17:30 Parents – 19:00
Community “Drop-in” session Wednesday 11th December 2019 – Pembroke Town Hall
09:00 – 19:00
4. Consultation Correspondence
4.1 Volume and Profile of Responses Received
A total of 336 responses were received via the online web link, general and “pupil-friendly” response forms, emails and letters. The breakdown is as follows:
Online web link / hard copy forms 327 Letters / emails 2 School Councils 7 TOTAL 336
The profile of respondents is given below and reflects all descriptions given. This profile indicates respondents’ role as part of the consultation and may indicate multiple roles, e.g. parent, staff and local resident; as a result the total does not equal the total number of responses received.
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Profile Number Pre-school parent 27 Parents 136 Staff 57 Governors 17 Residents 119
In relation to pre-school and current parents, the following table shows the schools that these groups identified with.
School No. % Ysgol Gelli Aur/Golden Grove 60 36.8% Ysgol Caer Elen 23 14.1% Ysgol Harri Tudur / Henry Tudor 22 13.5% Pembroke Dock 12 7.4% Ysgol y Preseli 10 6.1% Lamphey 4 2.5% Pennar CP 2 1.2% Penrhyn VC 2 1.2% Monkton Priory 1 0.6% Cosheston VC 1 0.6%
Left blank 26 16% TOTAL 163
4.2 Response from Estyn The County Council has received a detailed response to the proposal from Estyn. Its overall conclusion of the proposal is as follows:
The proposal corresponds with the Welsh Government’s objective to have a million Welsh speakers by 2050 (Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh speakers) by increasing the use of the Welsh language in education in the Pembroke and Pembroke Dock area.
The proposal is consistent with the objectives of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan.
The council has given appropriate consideration to a range of options and has chosen the above proposal.
Estyn is of the opinion that this proposal is at least likely to maintain the current standards of education.
The full response to the proposal from Estyn is attached in APPENDIX A.
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5. Consultation Responses
5.1 General Consensus Where respondents chose to utilise the online or hard-copy form provided, they were asked to respond to a single question in order to establish which of the following statements best reflected their views. The findings are as follows:
Please indicate which of the following reflects your views on the proposal: Establish a new Welsh medium primary school in Pembroke
Total Number % I do not feel strongly one way or the other 10 3.1% I support the proposal 173 52.9% I do not support the proposal 144 44% TOTAL 327
It is pleasing to note the significant response to this consultation and that the majority of respondents are supportive of the proposal.
5.2 Parental views
Consultation responses received from parents (including pre-school) indicate a balanced viewpoint as follows:
Pre-school Parents All Parents Supportive 15 65 80 Not supportive 12 67 79 Ambivalent 0 4 4
5.3 Views of respondents identifying with individual schools
For all groups of respondents who identified an interest with individual schools, the following information is relevant:
Ysgol Gelli Other primary Ysgol Harri Ysgol Caer Aur schools in the Tudur Elen & Ysgol area y Preseli No. % No. % No. % No. % Supportive 30 38% 9 31% 7 22% 72 89% Not supportive 46 59% 20 69% 23 72% 4 5% Ambivalent 2 3% 0 0% 2 6% 5 6%
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5.4 Pupil views
Pupil responses were received from seven schools, some of which were School Councils; on the basis of a simple poll undertaken at each school, the findings were as follows:
School Supportive Not Ambivalent Supportive P1 – Gelli Aur 10 0 0 Welsh stream P1 – Gelli Aur 0 11 2 English stream P2 Ysgol Harri Tudur 2 24 1 P3 – Pennar 0 3 4 P4 – Lamphey 5 2 5 P5 – Pembroke Dock 22 30 24 P6 – Hafan y Mor 25 2 1 P7 – Ysgol Caer Elen 29 1 4
5.5 Analysis of comments made during consultation
A list of all comments received during the consultation period is attached as APPENDIX B.
The correspondence received reveals a number of issues which have been raised by consultees. These reflect support, areas of concern, suggested alternatives and opposition and are listed below.
5.5.1 Comments in support of the proposal Recognition of strategic and cultural matters in relation to the Welsh language, i.e. o That all children in Wales should be educated through the medium of Welsh; o Welsh medium provision needs to be on an equal footing with English provision; o Achieving the aspiration for 1 million Welsh speakers; o The need to promote Welshness generally; o The need to give consideration to learners’ future employability and choice; o Contribution towards greater Welsh medium provision in Pembrokeshire as part of the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan; o Important to capitalize on the Welsh Government capital grant
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Matters specific to south Pembrokeshire and the county generally, i.e. o The proposal represents a much needed provision for the area and represents greater choice for parents; o Too many negative attitudes towards the language in the area; o With the exception of Ysgol Hafan y Mor, the south of the county has been largely neglected in terms of Welsh medium provision; o Too far to travel to Ysgol Caer Elen or Ysgol Hafan y Mor for stand- alone Welsh medium provision; o The new school, if implemented would represent an important community hub for the language in the area; o The primary phase in Ysgol Caer Elen is full; o Important to ensure sufficient pupil numbers for secondary phase at Ysgol Caer Elen.
Matters in relation to the current provision in the area, i.e. o An immersive Welsh medium experience is needed; o Welsh medium provision within a dual stream setting is difficult, even more so in a predominantly English speaking area; o An immersive experience will better support parents and encourage Welsh medium expansion; o Ysgol Gelli Aur / Golden Grove School is perceived as being an English medium school with Welsh provision as a bolt-on, including references to the school’s Estyn report; o There are benefits to pupils in the Welsh stream being part of a larger school, e.g. participation in extra-curricular activities, including team sports, drama/music productions, orchestra; o Peer pressure (English) is significant in a dual stream school; o The mixed year groups in the school is an issue; o Important that Ysgol Gelli Aur is not depicted as a failing school in terms of Welsh medium provision; o Important to ensure that Welsh 2nd language at the school does not deteriorate if the proposal is implemented; o It is important that pupils transferring from the Pembroke area to Ysgol Caer Elen in Year 7 are on an equal footing with those transferring from the primary phase of that school, i.e. having had an immersive Welsh medium experience.
Matters indicating conditional support o There is a need to invest in Ysgol Gelli Aur if it is to lose its Welsh stream, otherwise unfair; o Ysgol Gelli Aur benefits from extensive play areas – important that these can be matched on a new site; o Maintaining standards is key, both in terms of English and Welsh medium provision; o A Welsh speaking Headteacher is important, as is the development of a Welsh ethos for the school. However, there are concerns regarding the availability of Welsh speaking staff;
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o Concerns regarding the preferred site, specifically in relation to traffic and adjacency to Green Links provision at Bush Farm. In some cases, respondents urged the Council to seek an alternative site for the school to include the consideration of the former St Mary’s Catholic School in Pembroke Dock.
5.5.2 Comments against the proposal: The proposal is unnecessary because: o There is Welsh medium provision in the area already – the current provision at Ysgol Gelli Aur is adequate and there is no need to change; o Dual stream works well and has a positive impact on the English stream; this influences good 2nd language Welsh performance; o The proposal will result in a pupil drain to the new school, thereby having a detrimental effect on Ysgol Gelli Aur and other schools in the area. It will also affect the free school meal profile of pupils in these schools; o There is no demand for Welsh medium provision in the area; o The language is dying – why invest in a dying language? o The area is predominantly English speaking – few or no Welsh speakers in the area; o Too much money being invested in the Welsh language – invest in English medium schools instead; o The proposal is elitist - a new stand-alone Welsh school would be divisive and encourage segregation o Bilingualism is a feature of the new curriculum, so the proposal is unnecessary.
Welsh Government/the Council should have higher priorities: o Pembrokeshire schools are amongst the worst in Wales with large numbers in special measures or in the red category of support; o Standards in English medium secondary schools are poor and should be prioritised above any expansion for Welsh medium provision;
The money should be prioritised elsewhere: o The capital money should be invested in Ysgol Gelli Aur or other local schools; o The money should be used to increase the revenue funding given to schools in Pembrokeshire, or invested in other public services, e.g. ALN, health & wellbeing, mental health services, Withybush hospital.
Comments in relation to the preferred site: o The preferred site next to Henry Tudor School will add to the already significant traffic congestion in the area;
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o The preferred site is next to Old Bush Farm which hosts Green Links – it would be inappropriate for primary school children to be within such close proximity; o In a small number of cases, it was felt that the proposal would compromise the Green Links provision.
Comments in relation to the perceived effect on the local area: o The proposal will have a detrimental effect on Ysgol Harri Tudur / Henry Tudor School as it will reduce the talent pool entering that school; o The proposal is unfair on children and families who transferred to Ysgol Gelli Aur (Welsh stream) following the amalgamation of schools in the Angle peninsula; a new school will mean yet another school transition for them.
Environmental concerns: o Building yet another new school will damage the environment; o The proposal increases the environmental impact as more pupils will need to travel further to access Welsh medium secondary provision; o The proposed site sits within a conservation area.
5.5.3 Alternative options provided The following alternative options represent those put forward by respondents both for and against the proposal: o Rather than build a new school in Pembroke, where Welsh medium provision exists already, why not build in Milford Haven, or in other places where there is no provision? o Add Welsh streams to other primary schools in the area; o Keep Ysgol Gelli Aur as it is, but provide transport for pupils wanting Welsh medium from a wider area; o Provide transport to pupils wanting Welsh medium provision to other schools; o The proposal should be utilising the former St Mary’s Catholic School site in Pembroke Dock; o The money should be used to refurbish one of the many existing vacant school buildings in the area instead; o The proposal needs to have a wider scope and should be for a 3-16 school. o The new school should be for new pupils only. Pupils on roll in the Welsh stream at Ysgol Gelli Aur should stay in that school until they leave school. o Change Ysgol Gelli Aur to being a Welsh medium school – no requirement for a new build; o Establish a Welsh stream at Ysgol Harri Tudur – Henry Tudor School.
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5.6 Identification of themes arising from the consultation
A qualitative analysis of these comments has been undertaken and this reveals a number of themes, a detailed list of which, along with the Authority’s appropriate responses, are given below. The aim of the analysis has been to capture, interpret and present the public’s perception in relation to the proposal as faithfully as possible. All comments have been afforded equal weighting, regardless of their source, or the extent of the content. It should be noted that some of the comments made below have been expressed in the context of both support and opposition to the proposal. An example of this is where there is an agreement in principle to the proposal but where there are concerns in relation to the preferred site for the new school. Similarly, where respondents have noted their opposition, some of the alternative options offered may indicate that these are preferable instead.
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised The proposal is unnecessary as the current It is acknowledged that the Pembroke area is a predominantly English speaking area dual stream provision in Ysgol Gelli Aur is with some maintaining a description of ‘Little England beyond Wales’. The proposal adequate for the demand in the area. does not seek to be divisive by discriminating against non-Welsh or English families Pembroke is an English speaking area and or to exclude any community members from their own local community in any way. always has been. The proposal is elitist On the contrary, this proposal seeks to provide more children with the opportunity to and divisive. Maintain the status quo. become fully bilingual with the skills to be able to read, write and speak in both Welsh and English by the time they leave primary school. It is important to note that of the 193 pupils currently on roll at Ysgol Hafan y Mor in Tenby, approximately 90% of the children come from non-Welsh speaking homes.
Of significant relevance to this proposal, and in order to comply with the Welsh in Education Strategic Plans (Wales) Regulations 2019, the Council will be required to publish a ten year plan on how it will set the strategic direction for the planning, delivery and growth in Welsh medium education. This will form the cornerstone of the Council’s contribution towards Welsh Government’s strategy of reaching a million Welsh speakers by 2050; the foundation laid by the Welsh stream of Ysgol Gelli Aur and the proposal for expansion in Pembroke is part of the Council’s contribution towards that aspiration.
On the basis that the proposal is The grant funding which the Council has applied for is to support capital investment to unnecessary, use the money received from facilitate growth in Welsh medium education and the use of the Welsh language only Welsh Government to fund the schools we – it cannot be used as revenue expenditure. already have or into other local services which have been so savagely cut due to According to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, the austerity. The county has greater needs at fundamental difference between capital and revenue funding is as follows: the moment, e.g. the performance of its Capital – is an expense made on investing in buildings, infrastructure and expensive secondary schools, Withybush hospital, pieces of equipment. Capital spending by councils is mainly for buying, constructing mental health services and additional or improving physical assets such as, buildings, land, vehicles plant and machinery. learning needs. Revenue – is the term used to describe the amount that a council spends on its day to day running of services.
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised On the basis that the proposal is The grant funding which the Council has applied for is to support capital investments unnecessary, use the money received from that facilitate growth in Welsh medium education and use of the Welsh language. It is Welsh Government to fund capital aimed specifically at capital projects that will demonstrably contribute to meeting the improvements in other primary schools in Welsh Government’s aim of one million Welsh speakers by 2050. The Council was the area. Too much money is being required to submit a detailed business case to Welsh Government which provided invested in the Welsh language - it should details of the options considered; in addition to the proposal, these included an be invested in English medium schools extension and refurbishment to Ysgol Gelli Aur, the extension and refurbishment of a instead. redundant school site (Stackpole) and the refurbishment of a former primary school (Flying Start Centre in Pennar). Each of these options was discounted, the details of which were included on pages 29-30 of the Consultation Document.
With regards to the view that too much money is being invested in Welsh medium schools, i.e. at the expense of English medium school, an analysis of the Council’s 21st Century Schools Programme reveals that in relation to actual spend and budgeted amounts across Bands A and B, approximately 80% of the total value has been/is being invested in English medium schools. In relation to Band A, 34.5% of the total was invested in the wider Pembroke area. There is therefore no evidence to support the perception that Welsh Medium schools have received a more favourable level of investment.
School Language categories English Med English with Welsh Total Significant use Medium of Welsh Project £ million £ million £ million £ million Broad Haven CP 2.5 Tenby schools* 9.6 Johnston 6.1 Gelliswick 12.0 Henry Tudor 38.3 Penrhyn VC 3.8 Ysgol Bro Gwaun 14.7
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised Ysgol Caer Elen 28.1 Waldo Williams 2.5 TOTAL BAND A 79.0 14.7 28.1 121.8 65% 12% 23%
Haverfordwest High 48.7 Milford Secondary 36.6 Milford Primary 9.0 Portfield School** Pembrokeshire Learning Ctr** TOTAL BAND B** 94.3 - - 94.3 100% 0% 0%
TOTAL PROGRAMME 173.3 14.7 28.1 216.1 80% 7% 13%
* Tenby schools refers to both Tenby VC school and Ysgol Hafan y Mor. As a new build, the vast majority of the investment was focused on Tenby VC school (English medium) ** The figures included for Band B are estimates only and are likely to change pending further work to determine feasibility and subsequent business case processes. Figures in relation to Portfield School and Pembrokeshire Learning Centre are not included as these establishments do not have designated language categories.
On the basis that Pembroke already has It is acknowledged that there are other areas in Pembrokeshire which don’t have any Welsh provision, use the capital money to Welsh medium provision at all at present, including Milford Haven. Establishing build a school elsewhere, for example Welsh medium provision in Milford Haven is likely to be considered as part of the where there is no current provision. options appraisal within the business case for Band B investment of the 21st Century Building a new school in Milford Haven Schools Programme for Milford Haven Community Primary School. Consequently, if would be sensible. such provision is feasible, a proposal may be presented to the Council for consideration.
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised
It should be noted that the business case upon which the offer of capital grant has been received is based on establishing a new school on a new site in Pembroke, not elsewhere. The arguments considered by Welsh Government in favour of investment in Pembroke were in relation to a long-standing dual-stream provision in the town and that this presented a sound foundation for expansion to a successful stand-alone provision; this is significant, particularly within the context of the growth required to meet Pembrokeshire’s contribution towards a million Welsh speakers by 2050.
The proposal will have a detrimental effect The proposal aims to create additional choice for parents in choosing either a stand- on Ysgol Gelli Aur and other schools in the alone English medium provision or Welsh medium provision for their children. A area. Pupil numbers will decrease in those school’s pupil population is driven by parental preference and it is inevitable that if schools thereby creating surplus places such preference is towards the new school, then pupils will drift from other schools. If which in turn will lead to proposals for this is the case, the authority will need to monitor the situation and act accordingly. Of closure. The proposal will also have a significant relevance to this proposal, and in order to comply with the Welsh in detrimental impact on the Free School Education Strategic Plans (Wales) Regulations 2019, the Council will be required to Meals profile of current schools. It is publish a ten year plan on how it will set the strategic direction for the planning, perceived that this will subsequently delivery and growth in Welsh medium education. This will form the cornerstone of the reduce the talent pool in local English Council’s contribution towards Welsh Government’s strategy of reaching a million medium secondary schools. Some Welsh speakers by 2050; the proposal for Pembroke is part of the Council’s respondents suggested that Welsh contribution towards that aspiration. streams should be added to other schools in the cluster, including Henry Tudor In relation to the suggestion that Welsh streams should be added to other schools in School. the cluster, it is considered that this would be very costly and ineffective as each school would essentially need to double up its provision from nursery to year 6. Such a step would require each school to have a significantly greater Welsh ethos and the ability to teach through the medium of Welsh, i.e. not Welsh 2nd language. On the basis of the aspiration to expand Welsh medium provision, it is considered that this is best tackled by establishing a stand-alone school.
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised
The dual stream provision at Ysgol Gelli The view that the presence of Welsh medium pupils may have a positive impact on Aur works well and has a positive impact the school’s English stream is acknowledged; on the basis of the pupils reaching the on the school's English stream, thereby expected level in Welsh 2nd Language at the school, this amounts to 84% in 2019, the promoting bilingualism. Pupils in the average over the last four years being approximately 80%. However, this level of English stream reach good standards of attainment is not dissimilar to a number of other schools, most of which do not have a Welsh 2nd Language. Achieving Welsh Welsh stream and some of which have a similar percentage of pupils eligible for free Government's target of a million Welsh school meals. This suggests that the school should be able to maintain this level of speakers cannot be met by creating Welsh pupil attainment if the proposal is implemented, i.e. without a Welsh stream. medium schools - it needs to target Welsh 2nd language children and therefore a dual The Welsh in Education Strategic Plans (Wales) Regulations 2019 include stream provision where English pupils requirements on local authorities to prepare a ten year strategic plan (2021 – 2030) benefit from hearing Welsh being spoken which will set the strategic direction for the planning, delivery and growth in Welsh in the school is preferable. medium education; authorities will therefore be able to contribute significantly to the Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 Strategy. Amongst others, local targets within the above timescale will require a commitment to increase the percentage of learners within each school year who receives Welsh medium education by 2031. It is important to note that the targets expected of local authorities in securing expansion is required in the Welsh medium sector, as opposed to Welsh 2nd language. In Pembrokeshire, this target is based on increasing the number of Year 1 learners studying through the medium of Welsh, or predominantly through the medium of Welsh, from a base of 19.9% in 2017/2018 (2018 PLASC) to 30% - 34% in 2030; this equates to increasing the number of pupils by approximately 100 pupils.
Whilst there is a clear focus on increasing the number of pupils taught through the medium of Welsh, Welsh Government also has an aspiration to transform how we teach Welsh to all learners to ensure that at least 70% of those learners report by 2050 that they can speak Welsh by the time they leave school.
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised The site chosen for the proposed school is The Authority has undertaken a detailed assessment of Council-owned sites in the unsuitable. Traffic and congestion in the area prior to considering land at Old Bush Farm as the preferred site. The purpose of immediate area around Henry Tudor this was to ascertain that land was appropriately located, suitable, and of the correct School is significant and adding a new area to accommodate the school, i.e. to ensure that it complied with Welsh school in the vicinity will only exacerbate Government’s Building Bulletin 1999. Furthermore, the purpose of limiting options to the situation. Also, the preferred site is Council-owned sites only was in order to maximise the available capital budget on adjacent to the Green Links provision buildings, rather than having to purchase land. Following the conclusion of this based at Old Bush Farm. It is perceived to desktop exercise, two sites were submitted for a formal feasibility, these being: be inappropriate for young primary school a) Land to the south of Henry Tudor School, known as Old Bush Farm, children to be in such close proximity to b) Land to the north west of Henry Tudor School, alongside Pembroke Road. this provision. A detailed assessment of each of these parcels of land was undertaken to ascertain their suitability and to assess the following: Site option locations Building services Ecology Ground investigations Highways and transport overview Financial appraisal Project programme.
The concerns regarding traffic and congestion are acknowledged, particularly with a large secondary school in the vicinity. However, the feasibility study outlined above has provided a number of suggestions as to how this may be mitigated against One possible solution is to create a one-way traffic system along the lane accessed from Bush Hill, with egress only possible to the north of the site onto the B4322 (Pembroke Road). It is considered that this layout, together with the appropriate management arrangements can provide an appropriate and safe access to the proposed new school, but equally importantly, an improved solution for Henry Tudor School.
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised
Green Links is a Community Interest Company established in response to a need identified by the former Pembroke School for additional high quality vocational training opportunities for young people. Green Links is located within the grounds of Henry Tudor School, including Old Bush Farm. In line with Welsh Government’s 14–19 Learning Pathways Initiative, Green Links endorses the need to transform provision, and to enable young people to gain the wider skills and competencies they need to respond to changing employment opportunities. In addition to mainstream pupils in local secondary schools, Green Links provides a range of training courses and skills building activities to a varied range of participants with learning difficulties, behavioural issues and adults in need of support to enter or return to employment. A broad range of courses and workshops has been developed: Carpentry, Construction, Engineering, Woodland and Countryside Skills and Hair & Beauty courses, and these are accredited through Edexcel with BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate qualifications.
As with all other new school building projects in Pembrokeshire, the site including the building of the proposed new school, will be designed to align with PCC Safeguarding requirements and ‘Secured by Design’ principles https://www.securedbydesign.com/.
Increasing pupil numbers being taught Dual stream provision has been in place at Ysgol Gelli Aur for a number of years and through the medium of Welsh can be this has set a strong foundation for extending Welsh medium provision in the future; achieved as part of the current provision, this foundation is the very reason why we have a significant level of confidence that a i.e. at Ysgol Gelli Aur. This can be stand-alone school in Pembroke is needed and will thrive. achieved by investing in the current school premises and extending the catchment to The desire for the current dual provision to be extended is acknowledged, particularly attract pupils from a wider area. It is the desire for an investment into the school building. However, we do not feel that recognised that the school has sufficient maintaining a dual stream provision will contribute to a significant increase in pupils in grounds which can be used to extend the this area. The consultation document described how dual stream schools face the school building and such grounds challenge of functioning as two schools under one roof in terms of the linguistic
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised represent an attractive and effective categories of Welsh Medium and English Medium, despite functioning as one school. outdoor learning and play area. Extending Such schools run the potential risk of pupils opting out of Welsh Medium education to the current provision will result in the dual continue their education in the English Medium stream, thereby limiting linguistic stream (bilingual ethos) being maintained continuity. Consequently, this is why we believe that establishing a stand-alone and will ensure that standards in Welsh provision will make a real difference and will attract more children to an immersive 2nd language can be maintained. Welsh medium environment. We do not believe that standards in Welsh 2nd language will suffer as a result of this proposal, as several other schools which do not have a Some alternative views suggested that the Welsh stream perform just as effectively. investment should be made at Ysgol Gelli Aur but with a view to changing the school A small number of responses were received advocating that Ysgol Gelli Aur should be to being 100% Welsh medium. changed into a Welsh medium school, however, on the basis of pupil numbers in the Welsh stream at Ysgol Gelli Aur over the last ten years, there is little evidence of significant growth; the Welsh stream represents approximately one third of the whole school. It is considered that this option would receive little support, particularly from those who have little regard or appetite for the Welsh language. In that regard, the proposal offers equal opportunity for parents to choose either English or Welsh medium provision for their children. The Council should not be investing in any It is acknowledged that re-utilising vacant or redundant school buildings should be more new buildings - 'use the ones you favourable to new builds and the council considers this as part of all potential capital already have'. There are plenty of developments. The consideration of other vacant or former school buildings was redundant school buildings in the area, made as part of the business case for this proposal in 2019. At the time of the including the former St Mary's Catholic submission of this business case to Welsh Government in May 2018, St Mary’s school in Pembroke Dock. Spend the Catholic Primary School was still operational. Consideration of the former St Mary’s money that is available on refurbishing one site was undertaken following its closure in April 2019, however the fundamental of these buildings. issues here are: the site is in the ownership of a registered charity attached to the Catholic Church and that in order to use it for the purpose of a new Welsh medium school, the council would need to purchase it – this would reduce the amount of investment available for the building;
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised the capacity of the former St Mary’s Catholic School was only 81. Even if other spaces within the school are re-purposed as classrooms, the resulting capacity would fall far short of what is required to secure an expansion of Welsh medium provision in the area.
As part of the early assessment of the refurbishment of education buildings and their prioritisation for inclusion in a capital programme, each asset is individually assessed technically on several levels, such as back-log maintenance, asbestos content, economic life, building services condition, structural assessment and fabric condition, as well as suitability criteria. What is apparent from recent refurbishment schemes is that the initial survey information that the Authority holds for existing educational assets is based on a visual survey and costed accordingly. This is due to the lack of access into the key structural and fabric components of the building due to asbestos issues on site or simply because it is difficult to undertake a destructive survey in a live environment. Recent changes instigated by Welsh Government now categorise the levels of refurbishment from Light to Heavy:
Light Refurbishment - Investment focused on common areas and essential repairs only. Extension of economic life is approximately five years. Works include strip out of existing space, shell and core refurbishment including cosmetic upgrades. Assumes existing main plant, existing floors and ceilings are retained. Medium Refurbishment - Investment involves full upgrade of the existing building services and finishes but stops short of major structural alterations. Extension of economic life is approximately 15 years. Works include strip out of existing space, shell and core refurbishment including cosmetic upgrades. No major structural or sub- structural alterations. Existing floors and ceilings are retained and minor repairs only to façade. Heavy Refurbishment - Investment includes significant structural alterations and may also include the replacement of facades and roof finishes. The complete renewal of internal fittings, finishes, and MEP systems. The building is typically unoccupied.
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised Extension of economic life is approximately 15 - 30 years. Works include strip out of existing space, shell and core refurbishment including cosmetic upgrades. Replacement to raised floors, ceilings and new services
To bring existing buildings up to the current regulatory requirements in terms of fabric, energy use, fire strategies, learning environments, acoustics, etc.is difficult and costly. What is apparent from recent refurbishment schemes the Authority has carried out, is that detailed building surveys tends to point towards a heavy refurbishment option; this results in substantial work, is disruptive and extremely difficult to programme with certainty. The specified Welsh Government rate for a heavy refurbishment is very close to that of a new build rate, and this consequently leads to questions of value for money. The proposal will have a detrimental effect It is acknowledged that some respondents have raised environmental concerns about on the environment. The preferred site sits the proposal, however, such concerns are inevitable in the context of school within a conservation area and parents will reorganisation when new provision is added, amended or removed. In relation to be required to drive their children to the transport and traffic matters, these are issues which concern most schools, new school, thus adding to the particularly those in urban areas; we are aware that Ysgol Gelli Aur itself encounters considerable existing traffic during the start significant traffic issues and deals with the matter as effectively as possible. and end of the school day. In addition, However, there is a significant responsibility on parents in this respect to limit car pupils will require school transport if they journeys to and from school particularly if they live within walking distance of a school. choose to transfer to Welsh medium The proposed school site is within easy walking distance of several housing secondary provision at Ysgol Caer Elen in developments in the area, and there are numerous established safe walking routes as Haverfordwest. In view of this part of the Council’s Active Travel requirements. Furthermore, the preferred location consideration should be given to lends itself to a one-way traffic system which would enhance the safety of pedestrians establishing the new school as a 3-16 and ease traffic congestion in the area in question. school. The proposed site is located in the Conservation area for Pembroke. When identifying the site, discussions took place with the Council’s Listed Building and Conservation Officer who notes that: “The site selected was considered to be the most appropriate as it is enclosed by existing trees, it is not set in an area of open
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised land as other sites were, is more distant from the Castle and would be read (in views from the Castle itself) in the context of other school buildings existing behind it. This and the potential that designing the school to mitigate for any potential impacts on the setting of the castle is easier to achieve in this location than others that could have been selected.” At a planning application stage, the detailed proposals will be assessed against the Local Development Plan and its policies. Sensitive design and landscaping proposals will be required to address the Conservation area designation and proximity to the Castle. Issues of access and parking/transport will also be considered at a planning application stage.
Transport to Welsh medium secondary provision at Crymych or Haverfordwest already takes place and the environmental effect of this is acknowledged. However, the establishment of Ysgol Caer Elen in Haverfordwest in September 2018 has allowed parents to have a real choice in whether or not to opt for their children to receive Welsh medium education. Prior to this time, any pupil in the Welsh stream of Ysgol Gelli Aur transferring to secondary provision had to endure lengthy bus journeys to Crymych. This was, and still is for some pupils, a significant investment in time; arguably this came at an environmental cost also. However, Ysgol Caer Elen has resulted in significantly reduced journey times, and perhaps a lower environmental impact.
Officers will shortly commence with the work of preparing a 10 year Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) which will need to plan for an expansion of provision in the county. On the basis of this it is reasonable that consideration will need to be given to whether the current configuration of schools and their age ranges are appropriate.
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Concerns / Comments Authority Response to Concerns Raised The Consultation Document is badly The Consultation Document contains all the relevant information required to comply written and does not adequately with the requirements of the School Organisation Code 2018. In relation to the acknowledge the strengths of the current specific criticism regarding the alleged lack of acknowledgement of the school’s provision at Ysgol Gelli Aur, nor the strengths or progress made since the last inspection, the document refers to the progress made by the school since its judgements arising from the most recent inspection by Estyn and the progress made inspection in 2017. by the school against Estyn’s recommendations. These are highlighted in Section 4 of the Consultation Document and were correct as at the publication of the document in November 2019.
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APPENDIX A
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APPENDIX B Establishment of a new 3-11 Welsh Medium Primary School in the Pembroke area Correspondence received as part of statutory consultation
Ref. Comments
3 The south of the county has been neglected for years regarding the provision of education through the medium of welsh. Although there is now a school in Tenby another school in the Pembroke area would benefit local people as the unit in Gelli Aur is already growing year on year. 5 Appalling at the English medium school building is in such a poor state and again you look after small welsh speaking minority 6 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 7 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 9 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 10 Ridiculous in an area that has been English speaking for 900 years 11 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 12 I'm not sure on the uptake of places as this is a predominantly English speaking area, however I'd like to send my daughter to a Welsh medium school 13 It’s shocking that so much money is being invested in the welsh language.
Build new schools for English speaking primary school children, who are having to learn in old buildings with inadequate equipment 14 I don’t feel that the Pembroke area needs a Welsh medium school. The majority of residents are first language English. It’s a language that is dying out and apart from limited jobs in Wales, Welsh would not be a statutory require for future jobs. How many of the pupils taught first language Welsh use it as their first language? Often parents who are first language English are only sending their children to new Welsh medium schools because of the facilities at the new schools not because of the language. If pupils go on to an English university, which many do, they will not use their Welsh.
Spend the money on improving the quality of education and facilities on the English medium schools and have a Welsh unit as part of the English medium school. Don’t waste money on the latest government fad to increase Welsh language and look at the wider picture. 16
Ref. Comments
15 I feel the standard of Welsh at golden grove is not the same as at Caer elen. I have experience of children at both schools. 16 Increased transport for those students at secondary level, with resultant carbon/pollution impacts and cost to council, as there is no Welsh medium secondary provision south of Haverfordwest. Self selection of engaged parents in sending pupils from English speaking homes to Welsh medium schools reduces talent in English medium secondaries and creates artificially good and 'sink' schools.
Put extra resources into improving secondary schools in area so people are happier to use local schools regardless of language. 17 We do not need another new school, invest the monies into what we already have. Budgets for education are being cut year on year, we have some of the lowest paid support staff in our local schools. Parents sending children to welsh schools do not speak the language how can they possibly support their child if they don’t speak or understand the language, I believe this will have a detrimental effect on the pupil. The percentage of people speaking fluent welsh or welsh as a first language in Pembroke / Pembrokeshire is less than 5 %
The alternative is to reinvest the money you have set aside into schools we already have in the area. 18 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 19 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 20 Suitable venue for the site must be found, one of the areas identified close to the grounds of Ysgol Harri Tudur is very much unsuitable based on the congestion which is a major issue now would be gridlock each and every day greatly impacting the environment and the learning of all students. 21 I believe that PCC is right to develop the provision for Welsh Language Education in the Pembroke area, however I am strongly opposed to the proposed site. The proposed location is in very close proximity to some of the alternative provisions used by Henry Tudor. I feel that it would be extremely inappropriate to site primary aged children directly next to some of your most challenging and vulnerable learners, whose behaviours are so extreme that they require non mainstream provision and additional support. I am also very disappointed at the lack of regard that seems to have been shown for the children and families affected by this proposal, specifically those on the Angle peninsular. My daughter attended Stackpole School, till PCC decided to amalgamate the schools in that area and create Penrhyn. We decided to move our daughter to Gelli Aur so we could access the Welsh provision, and have been very happy with the incredible opportunities and support she has received there. Although I agree that a category A school would mean a better funded and resourced school to promote and develop Welsh Education, for us the proposed new school would be another school move with an additional transfer to Caer Elen at the end of Year 6. This clearly offers a very disjointed educational journey, and the lack of consistency can only
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Ref. Comments
have a negative effect on those potentially forced yet again to relocated their children because of constant change in the educational provision offered in Pembroke. 23 Is it a necessary cost when education budgets are so tight?
Increase Welsh provision in existing schools. 24 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 26 there is no demand for this- it would be a waste of resources
invest in the current schools 27 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 28 I think the welsh language should be used and promoted and if there is demand then a new welsh medium school would be of benefit to the area.
I am concerned about the possible increase in site traffic and I do wonder if there is a more suitable location. 29 I do support the provision of a Welsh School, but I oppose the childcare facilities suggested. As stated in Part 5 of the document ‘ Welsh Medium school with associated childcare facilities’ as there has been no consultation with existing childcare provision.
We are a 85 place childcare provision with welsh language spoken daily located in Pembroke. We are currently at approx 60% capacity and have undertaken numerous welsh language courses to improve the Welsh spoken in our setting. We are happy to further support the implementation of welsh language childcare in our setting, but have had difficulty recruiting Welsh language staff. Using public money to fund childcare services when there is a existing provision located less than a mile from Gelli Aur, without consultation with ourselves leaves me concerned. We have been rated as Excellant in all areas from our last CIW inspection. I would welcome further consultation on what the ‘childcare services’ being proposed involves so as to ensure displacement does not occur, affecting the sustainability of the existing provision. 30 The new Welsh curriculum promotes bilingualism with English having equal weighting to Welsh. We should not encourage segregation, Welsh speakers can support English speakers and improve Welsh standards in the current provision. The Welsh targets for Welsh speakers will not be achieved through segregation. The current provision is acceptable and encourages bilingualism. Parents if children who currently attend the Welsh unit in Grove do not want their children to go to a Welsh school. When they are secondary age they will have 18
Ref. Comments
to travel a huge distance for a Welsh secondary school, again, this is not encouraging bilingualism and does not marry with the aims of the new Welsh curriculum. Support staff in the current provision to speak and promote the Welsh language. This will impact more in Welsh speaking targets than sending them to a different school! 31 My child is currently attending Golden Grove School, as did I. Since I remember, Grove CP School had its own Welsh unit, which made Grove School attractive and unique. Following on from wider Welsh learning requirements, I don't agree that Grove should cease their teaching through a medium of Welsh, but allow for other schools in the area to allow space and resources to enjoy the ability to teach school children in Welsh also.
Pembroke Dock CP school should provide its own Welsh-medium classes and resources, as well as surrounding areas. This would ensure there would be no class segregation. 32 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 33 My support for the proposal is grudging as I feel that Ysgol Gelli Aur has been depicted as a school which is not fulfilling the needs of Welsh language education in Pembroke. My son, who is now a Year 8 pupil at Ysgol Caer Elen, is performing well and is in the top set for Welsh and English, as are his peers who also attended the Welsh stream at Ysgol Gelli Aur. The provision of a Welsh medium school in Pembroke should not be at the detriment of Ysgol Gelli Aur and investment should therefore be made to this school to bring it up to '21st century school standard' also. 34 I think that the proposed site is a terrible idea for the following reasons: 1. It is beside the ks 3 and 4 off site provision for ysgol harri tudur who can't manage in mainstream school. These pupils would be around the perimeter of the school throughout the school day. These young people are not deemed as appropriate to be on YHT school site so it is unbelievable that anyone could think it would be appropriate for a primary school to be within such close proximity of Greenlinks. 2. It is well known locally that the woods surrounding this area are used for anti social behaviour eg drinking, substance misuse by young people and adults so why place a primary school right in the vicinity of this? 3. Traffic in and out of this area is ridiculous already in the morning and after 3pm. Another school there is simply going to add to these problems.
Although I would prefer my child to stay in Golden Grove, I'm not totally against a welsh medium primary school, simply in another area of Pembroke 35 We need a Welsh medium primary school in Pembroke there is a great interest in growing, bilingual education
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Ref. Comments
36 Current provision more than sufficient! Lovely to see the children integrating in the vast playground and green area. English stream pupils benefit from hearing Welsh spoken in the classroom s and by pupils on errands. This decision will decrease the number of Welsh speakers and not increase it as the government targets indicate. Again this is a foregone conclusion by the Welsh government and council. I remember attending a very similar meeting several years ago for a provision in Pembroke/Pembroke Dock. We were told that there would be further meetings which never happened to my knowledge, the next thing we knew it was being built in hwest! May I also add that in the 'My interest' question Grandparents were not even included. Maybe done if your team would like to visit the school to see how many grandparents actually pick up their grandchildren especially from the Welsh units. I would say the majority are picked up by Grandparents and therefore surely should have been included!
Stay put! 37 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 38 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 40 Educating children in different languages makes for a divided society, those that speak English and those that speak Welsh. If those who have been educated in Welsh schools are being given priority in opportunities over those that have been educated in English that could create a two tier society. Those that want opportunities, but are frustrated that Welsh speakers are given priorities, could leave Wales. There could be ill feeling between English and Welsh speakers.
The council recently raised Council Tax by 12% in order to cover a black hole in the finances. Services have been cut to the minimum, there is inadequate provision for the vulnerable in this county. Please spend the money where it benefits all residents. 41 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 42 I think it would be an amazing opportunity for the Pembroke area to have a separate Welsh unit for pupils. 43 The Pembroke/ Dock does not have a big enough centre of population to justify the division of our primary school education. Those wishing to have their children educated in the core subjects in the medium of Welsh are well catered for already. The children are able to continue contact with their “English educated” friends during playtime thus preventing an “us & them” competitive division. If there is so much money available for investment... use it to improve our current schools! 44 There is already adequate provision in Ysgol Gelli Aur..There is no need for another school to be built. I recall that from previous meetings when discussing the location of a new 3-16 welsh medium school we were told in no circumstances would it be possible to have said 20
Ref. Comments
school on the grounds of Pembroke Comprehensive yet here we are being told that this is where the unnecessary and unwanted school is going to be. By removing the welsh education from Ysgol Gelli Aur you are removing the welsh influence and the shared learning of the language from a fantastic learning environment. Why not invest the monies into providing the already existing school with better learning resources and more staff. I expect that the decision has already been made and this is merely a tick box exercise. Very disappointed!!!! 45 it will remove children from the current primary schools in the area, resulting in them receiving less funding. The birth rate forecasts do not indicate the current schools will be over capacity so there will be surplus places which will affect staff and funding. It is beneficial for all children at golden grove to have a Welsh stream to improve the Welsh of the whole school community and to ensure the school has Welsh specialist staff. If you are trying to hit the gov target of x number of Welsh speakers by whatever date, you need to be supporting those in English medium schools to speak Welsh otherwise the numbers won't work.
Put money and time into supporting the fantastic schools you already have in the area. Support the staff and students in those schools to become Welsh speakers. 46 Unnecessary 47 I do not feel a Welsh school in Pembroke is needed.
I feel the money should be used to improve the existing schools such as golden grove and Lamphey as they are in need to modernisation 48 It will be nice for the school to go ahead but staffing will be the issue with fluent welsh speakers so will this school actually benefit the children? 51 Having read the document, I totally agree that in order for our young Welsh speakers to develop we need to immerse them in the Welsh language. Having had two children go through Ysgol Gelli Aur, I can see how this proposal will enable the teachers to provide the environment needed to develop language skills. My only wish is that I now didn't have one child in Ysgol y Preseli and one in Ysgol Caer Elen - this is not an ideal situation for us - two different buses, two different parents evenings, two different Christmas Fayres, two different everything ... very time consuming. Does the county council need to look even further into the future and consider a 3-16 Welsh School in Pembroke, avoiding the 2 hours per day on a bus. If you want to boost numbers of Welsh learners, then I think that the removal of travel time would appeal to a much broader audience, resulting in a much more appealing offer to the families in the locality. 52 I am extremely concerned that schools in the Pembroke/Pembroke Dock area will lose pupils due to a new school opening. There are not enough children to warrant a new school without existing schools being adversely affected which means redundancies are likely to happen in an already challenging time financially for schools/families. I also feel that this money could be used more effectively to help
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Ref. Comments
existing schools buy essentials for pupils that they are struggling to do, due to the savage cuts that are happening in education at the present time.
To continue the Welsh provision at Golden Grove and the money for a new school to be spent on existing schools who are really struggling financially. 54 The building of a new school will mean land is lost, resources which are damaging to the environment will be used. Children moved from Golden Grove will lose opportunities to coexist with others, delivery of the schooling will be duplicated. Pupils at the new school will be denied opportunities to play a wide range of sports and to benefit from the provision at Golden Grove. In a nutshell...the proposed school is not needed.
Status Quo. The school at Golden Grove works well. 55 All three of my children have attended Gelli Aur and have successfully progressed further. However, the constant battle between provision of facilities and resources has been evident. The provision of teachers has been an issue for as long as I can remember due to the funding not being split and the provision of teachers not being ring fenced for Welsh medium pupils. There is a definite desire amongst more parents to put their children in Welsh only education but the peer pressure in a dual stream school is significant. The increase in Welsh medium provision can only be a good thing and will increase both the numbers and the quality of services. 56 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 57 Why waste money on welsh this is south pembs. Money should be spent on more important services.
Fund existing schools in pembroke. Fund other services such as contact centre so you can get thorough to council. 58 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 62 A lot of money is being spent on Welsh schools, what about spending money and improving All primary schools in Pembroke/ Pembroke Dock. We don’t need another Welsh school, enough money was spent on Caer Ellen, and what you’ll find is people will send their children to these Welsh schools purely because they are brand new with loads of resources! And also a massive concern is where you are planning on building this school, because if it is opposite Bush House, the traffic will be absolute bedlam! It is bad enough now, this will be an accident waiting to happen. Please think about all the children’s health and well-being, not just the Welsh language school children.
Use the money to extend/ improve Golden Grove/ Gelli Aur school. Keep it English and Welsh. 22
Ref. Comments
63 Seeing the Welsh unit in grove thriving and getting bigger i believe this is a need. To be fully immersed in the Welsh language in all aspects of school including social. 64 It would be very useful to have a school devoted to the welsh language & could be helpful to anyone wishing to learn the language. 65 Second idea 66 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 67 It is extremely important that we in the area have a brand new Welsh medium school. Unfortunately, there has been a negative attitude in the area and, by building and establishing this new school, it will raise the status of the Welsh language. Very exciting project! Good luck with the work and the future of our language 68 I do not think Pembroke need to have a stand alone welsh stream school. Gelli aur is a fab duel stream school and children and parents love that the children are inclusive and the English and welsh stream are equal. Weather in the welsh or english stream all the children play and are friends and are not separate which is how it will be if a solely welsh stream school is built.
Instead of spending all that money on a new school i don't see why money can't be used to expand or update the current duel stream school. Why change something that is working really well. If the council have money to build a new school then why is there no money for other services in our county which desperately need it? 70 I don't think the proposed site (near Ysgol Harri Tudur) is suitable. There is already too much traffic onto the site at school times, the car park and access road often becomes gridlocked as it is. Adding additional traffic from the primary school would only worsen this situation.
The site of the former St Mary's Catholic School does not appear to have been considered. As the majority of pupils are from Pembroke/Pembroke Dock this would be a convenient location. 72 although I have ticked 'do not feel strongly either way' - I would have preferred to tick a box to indicated that I have mixed feelings about this. If a welsh medium school is opened in the area then I think it will be very important for there to be well funded provision to engage parents of early years children who are not bilingual or confident welsh speakers that their children will not be disadvantaged by their lack of welsh skills and that in fact children will be advantaged in the long term due to the Welsh Language Act's impact upon the public sector and employment opportunities. I have concerns that the welsh language offer is largely taken up by 'middle class' parents who have moved into wales and not by those communities in Pembrokeshire who have traditionally not been welsh speakers. Although I recognise the importance of providing an 'immersive' experience for children by providing a school that speaks only welsh -thereby benefitting the pupils welsh language skills and engagement in welsh culture I would be very sad if the provision of a welsh language school in the area ended up dividing a community. 23
Ref. Comments
There needs to be further support for Cylch Meithryn in the Pembroke area. 73 It’s a long time coming but great for the welsh language and offering a bilingual education is a great positive for the area 74 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 75 Although I support the proposal I do no feel that an entire new school needs building
Golden Grove should become a welsh medium school and the english move 76 It will be reducing the sports facilities at YHT (ysgol Harris tudor) if you build the school on our rugby pitch also the pick up time is very busy already without adding another school in the same facility
Refurbish Saint Mary's school and open that up as a welsh school 77 I think it’s a brilliant idea and there should be more than one welsh school in the area, it’s just sad my son, will probably be starting secondary school by the time this is in place, and he will have missed the opportunity to get the skills this school will provide. 78 I do not support the proposal at this time because of my experience as a governor at another of Pembrokeshire's new build schools. The closure of three village schools and the construction of a new school with 21st century school funding was proposed as a solution to falling rolls and building deterioration in our area. Once the proposal was accepted and the project began, the temporary governing body were horrified to discover that we didn't actually have the budget to staff x4 classrooms with teachers and a head. The solution, which is still in place, was to put the teaching staff on 0.875 contracts. A solution about which I am deeply unhappy. Buildings do not educate children - well-paid, motivated, highly-educated staff do - in any language. I oppose a proposal which spends more money while existing schools struggle to balance the books, at the expense of the education of the children attending them. The complexity and variety of needs of pupils, from complex ALN to emotional and social problems impacting attendance and the ability to learn continue to drain limited resources - with little relief in the myriad of complex, time-challenged grants available.
Challenge the Welsh government on the budget and invest in highly-qualified teaching staff. 79 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 81 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available)
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Ref. Comments
82 Don’t feel there is a need for this in the area. There are schools in the cluster that have temporary portacabins that have been there for over 15 years. They are not fit for purpose but will not be replaced due to lack of funding. Money needs to be spent on bringing other schools up to date instead of spending millions on this school. 83 I do not think there is enough need for a Welsh medium school in this area and think the money would be better spent on improving the current primary schools we already have! Spend the money on improving existing primary schools! 85 The new Welsh curriculum promotes bilingualism so why are we separating the languages into different schools. This will only create redundancies in schools! There is no call for in it in this area. The Welsh targets for bilingualism are also not going to be hit by separating languages! Let non welsh speaking learn from Welsh speakers to promote the Welsh language. Invest in improving the Welsh language provision in our primary schools, don’t promote separation! 86 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 87 I think it's a good idea as currently children are travelling to Haverfordwest to access a Welsh school which is a lot for young children 88 In an English speaking area I feel there is no need for this in Pembroke Dock. There is an existing Welsh Unit in Grove School. This is going to have a huge impact on all of the other schools in the area. 89 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 91 About time this was done, Welsh classes at grove school are totally inadequate with many year groups sharing one class, stretching teachers & support staff. Headmaster at grove seems more interested in sport so hopefully there will be a School Head who will provide fully for Welsh Education & Culture with staff & children having a much improved teaching & learning environment 92 Use the money to improve the existing facilities at golden grove school. Also Welsh is not widely enough used in the pembroke area to justify the expense of a new school.
As above. Far better to extend the existing facilities. Or use some of the existing empty council buildings for the school. 93 It’s long overdue. Pembroke deserves a fully committed Welsh language school. How can the same level of respect be given to the welsh in a school where the headteacher doesn’t speak the language and some staff are quite openly anti welsh? We made a conscious decision to educate our children in welsh and whilst the welsh speaking staff are fantastic, the attitudes of some other members of staff are quite disgraceful and disrespectful. Our children deserve a welsh language school and the staff of Gelli Aur deserve to work in a welsh school where they are appreciated, their talent and skill recognised, and where awelsh ir given the respect it deserves.
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94 We have Welsh provision in Grove that is not over subscribed, why go to the expense of creating a new school when it would be those children attending! They may not want to be segregated! Bilingualism is a priority in Wales with new targets, learning the language from each other, how will this be achieved with a new school? The new welsh curriculum gives equal weighting to English and Welsh language being taught alongside each other, Pembrokeshire LA need to understand this.
Provide training for current staff in our primary schools to promote Welsh under the new Welsh curriculum, raise welsh standards for ALL not a handful who would wish to attend a new and expensive school which in the long term would create redundancies elsewhere. 95 The amount of children who would attend this school would be a very small amount, the offset is the cost of this school and redundancies in current schools. Why isn’t the money ploughed into improving welsh in our primary schools so all can benefit not just a select few as these children currently benefit from a more than adequate welsh provision in Grove that is not over subscribed.
Money to go into our current primary schools to improve welsh provision to raise attainment for all! 96 I don't feel there is a need for this, not many people speak 1st language Welsh in the Pembroke, p.dock area
Money can be spent else where on health improving current schools 97 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 98 I have 2 children in the Welsh unit at Gelli Aur, they are both happy and positive in terms of their education and experiences within the school. The school has an excellent community environment with the teachers in the Welsh unit being supportive, nurturing and well experienced. I cannot see the need to spend such large sums of money to build another primary school in the area. They enjoy their education for so many reasons beyond it being in Welsh, in fact to them the Welsh is irrelevant, that's simply the language they learn through. The extra curricula activities, enthusiasm of teaching staff, excellent outdoor facilities and woodland, links and use of many local attractions and centres and generally a positive feeling of well-being are what make their learning experience fun and an all round quality education. We are an English speaking family, as are many who have chosen this option. From my point of view the fact that it is a duel stream made the decision of choosing Welsh more approachable and allowed my children to go to a bigger school rather than a small village type school, therefore broadening their experiences and people they meet. The proposed location of the new school concerns me given its proximity to a high school I want to avoid my children attending and the Greenlinks provision. Added to this, having so many things located in such a compact area will add additional traffic pressures to an already strained area. Around the high school and the main roads around this are a bottle neck that cause issues daily getting in and out of Pembroke, extra services within the same area will do nothing to improve this. The final point for me is that, with children in years 1 and 4 I see no benefit to their education to be disrupted
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twice by adding an extra transition with a new school. If this were completed before either of my children had finished key stages 1 or 2 I would be looking to move my children to Cear Elen early so they only face one transition rather than 2 in a very short time span.
If there is money allocated for education, even if that is currently specifically for Welsh, this should be fed into an already strained education system. Improve what you have instead of building new constantly. Sometimes new is beneficial, Henry Tudor has a much improved look, however Golden Grove is an excellent school with excellent facilities, invest in these, develop these, grow these. There is already a disused, abandoned old primary school opposite Golden Grove, what a waste, maybe this could be improved and used in someway to extend current provision if space is seen as an issue. 99 The initial survey that was carried out did not make it clear that Welsh provision would be removed from Grove. The initial consultation was only responded to by a very small number of people, an even smaller amount asked for Welsh provision. No survey has been carried out in local primaries to ask parents if they would actually like Welsh provision, you could only respond to the initial survey if your children were below school age! Parents want bilingualism and for children to mix, we don’t want segregation and then to have to look for a Welsh secondary school further afield. You could end up building a school for a dozen or so pupils, waste of money when money could be ploughed into all our primary schools to help implement Welsh in order to meet Welsh targets!
Money to go into all primary schools to improve standards of Welsh. Current provision is adequate!! 100 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 101 I think it's a good idea, as all three of my children went to Gelli Aur and learnt through the medium of Welsh. I sometimes felt like the Welsh department was unsupported, and although my children weren't bullied, they were called names and ostracized by the English unit students. My children didn't speak Welsh on the yard or in the school as they weren't comfortable doing so, therefore I feel an all Welsh primary school would be important, if only to make children proud of their bilingual ability and to feel comfortable using it. 102 improving the number of welsh speakers in the south of Pembrokeshire should be a priority for the local authority. 103 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 105 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 106 I do not believe that a welsh medium stream can truly succeed and gain the support and recognition it deserves whilst in the shadow of an english school. There will always be conflicting strategies unless a welsh only school is given the chance to lead for themselves. 107 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 27
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(Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 108 The Pembroke area is a traditionally Englush speaking part of Pembrokeshire since the late middle ages. Its architecture, landscape and traditions reflect the influence of many hundreds of years of the lifestyles and traditions of the west country and other former Marcher areas in Wales. A welsh medium school does not acknowledge this history of "Little England beyond Wales". I am NOT against the promotion of welsh in Wales...it is right and proper in those parts of Wales where it has a long standing presence. Arguably the population of South Pembrokeshire has a history, tradition and heritage that whilst drawing on aspects of its welsh past, also melds this with a firm south-west English root.
Continue to teach Welsh as requested or required by law, but within an English medium environment. 109 A completely Welsh language environment would be hugely beneficial for the children 110 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 111 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 112 There so many primary schools in the area so by adding this school your decreasing other school numbers. There is no room for another school in the proposed area as these roads are very busy as it is.
Why not add a Welsh unit(s) to current primary schools instead? 113 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 114 It is not a Welsh speaking area, there is not a high demand for Welsh medium.
More money needs to be invested in better education and not just on the Welsh language. 115 It is important to promote bilingualism, where it is optional but there will be a need to ensure that Welsh second language does not deteriorate in the area as a result of moving the Welsh stream out of Golden Grove. Would it be possible to combine the establishment of a Welsh medium school and a Regional Teacher post based in the school? 116 I think there is very good Welsh Medium provision in Pembroke already in Gelli Aur. The school has worked hard to unite the two streams and to avoid segregation. The second language Welsh is extremely successful due to the immersion that the Welsh stream provides to the whole school. That will be lost should the Welsh expertise be taken elsewhere. The pupils should be united, not separated. My two boys
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attended the Welsh stream at Gelli Aur and are both doing well at Ysgol Y Preseli. I do not see any benefit to this proposal and I think that the money would be better spent on other WAG priorities.
I feel that money would be better spent in building a Welsh Medium Primary School in another area of Pembrokeshire where the welsh language needs to be promoted further. 117 The consultation document has been written appallingly and certainly favours the LA position of wanting a new Welsh School. There is no recognition of the strengths of our school or the progress that we have made. Our Inspection outcomes from Summer 2018 are laid bare for all to see, which we accepted as a school and worked hard on. Our recent categorisation has put us back to Yellow. What I would add, however, is that we had asked for and got a 'mini-inspection' to assess our Welsh Stream in Spring 2018. That report stated 'Many aspects were positive and nearly all pupils were judged to be making good progress'. The Advisory support that we have received for 1st Language Welsh has certainly been questionable and definitely should be noted as a weakness. One important note to be added here is that we receive very favourable feedback on the children that we have sent to Preseli or Caer Elen. My feelings in education are that there needs to be strong collaboration with a very inclusive nature. I am very much aware that my strongest teachers are in my English Stream and we have really upped the collaboration of our staff, across both streams, and we are working positively towards the roll out of the New Curriculum. Our Welsh Teachers are benefitting from the expertise of the English Teachers, and vice versa. Unfortunately, education in Pembrokeshire has become divisive and selective with a very two-tiered and unequitable approach. New parents joining our Welsh Stream are not doing so because they want to contribute to a million Welsh speakers by 2050, they are doing so to avoid the local secondary school, Ysgol Harri Tudur. Ysgol y Preseli is a high performing secondary school in Pembrokeshire (and has just come 3rd in the Sunday Times list of top secondary schools in Wales) with the Head there also taking over the new Welsh-medium 3 - 16 school, Ysgol Caer Elen. This is where parents are moving to in large numbers from across the county, and it’s the same reasons that I am witnessing in Pembroke. It’s happening in Milford, Tenby and Haverfordwest, as well as Pembroke, and these secondary schools are all way down the list on the performance charts for secondary schools. Our Director was delighted that her Welsh Strategic Plan was praised by Welsh Government, but I wish she had a plan for the whole of secondary education within Pembrokeshire, particularly those large town schools, that I’ve mentioned, that are continually hovering over Amber/ Red Categorisation (3 currently Red and one Amber) with poor inspection outcomes. The Local Council and Director can talk really positively of the huge increase in numbers in Welsh Education within the county, which is great, but it can’t be allowed to continue simply because of the poorer performance of the English-medium secondary schools. Parents are voting with their feet simply on the performance of the secondary schools. That’s not equitable and it's not right. There is clearly a deficiency in secondary education in our large English-medium schools and that needs to be the focus. And environmentally, I really don’t understand the grant system and why schools have to be completely new. There will be and are numerous empty school buildings in Pembrokeshire and there seems to be a complete lack of foresight for the development of schools within the county. We, for
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example, have tried numerous times to get a Mudiad Meithrin within the school to really develop our provision for Early Years, but it’s been to no avail. We feel that this would have given our children a stronger footing in Welsh, especially considering the very anglicised area that we live in. Yet, this will be in the proposed new school. Finally, one thing the inspectors said to us in 2018 was that our Welsh Second Language was very strong. I’m sure this is in no small part because of the fact we are dual-stream. My view is that we won’t get a million Welsh speakers simply by creating Welsh-medium schools; it will be done by focussing on Welsh as a second Language as well, which is what I’m witnessing in my school. We’ve worked really hard on developing our Welsh ethos in the school, getting whole-school community involvement and it has an impact. I won’t go into all the other social benefits that the children benefit from within the school, through coming together for the arts, music, drama and sport, which is far easier to do as a larger school. We had our consultation meeting last night with the Director and Huw Jones. She finished with saying that the ability to speak Welsh will become even higher on the agenda for job applicants in Pembrokeshire, particularly with public services, and it's already very high on the agenda in Monmouthshire. Worryingly, this could be viewed as almost racist rhetoric where our English-speaking children are being penalised for not being able to speak Welsh. One member of staff aired to the Director that she will now be advising her children to run for the hills - to cross the border to colleges in England and to stay there. My daughter has just achieved remarkable results in her GCSEs and wants to become a doctor. Likewise, I'll be advising her to cross the border as I don't like what I'm hearing at present. Finally, children's mental health is often talked about with very little being done about it in Pembrokeshire. We as a school have embarked on a Mindfulness project with our cluster of schools as we have had children as young as 8 saying they want to kill themselves. We have also had children display eating disorders at 10, and I know that both these issues are becoming more common across the county and even Dr Simmonds (Consultant Paediatrician) has commented to us that suicidal comments have become the norm. Referrals to some of these children to CAMHS have been refused as they don't meet criteria and there isn't enough funding to cater for all. We, as a school, have invested in Emotional Learning Support Assistants to take on the ever increasing number of children who need mental health support. As I'd previously posed about secondary education, what is the strategic plan for children's mental health in Pembrokeshire?
Invest in the current provision by providing a Mudiad Meithrin; upgrading their 'Poor' building. Focus on the development of Welsh Language for our second language learners across the county. Get the priorities in Pembrokeshire right first - large English-medium secondary schools, children's mental health, school budgets. Have a council that challenges WG on these plans, particularly at a time of austerity and uncertainty over Brexit. Develop an equitable education system that doesn't penalise children/ parents who do not opt for Welsh-stream education. The placement of the new school is also ridiculous as it's already incredibly busy at the end of the school day with YHT traffic. I don't buy the fact that the LA are also trying to attract children from more diverse backgrounds to include more children on FSM; otherwise this proposal would be in Pembroke Dock, possibly on St. Mary's site, or someone else in the town. Pembroke is a more middle class area which is why it has been chosen (and likewise as to why Milford doesn't as yet have one).
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118 I fully support the proposal to have a Welsh medium school in Pembroke. Many parents chose to place their children in the Welsh Unit in Golden Grove, however the children are not fully immersed in the language as the school is dual stream. The teachers in the Welsh Unit do their utmost to promote the language, unfortunately a significant amount of the staff do not speak Welsh, so how can the children be expected to speak Welsh throughout the day if staff are unable to converse with them fluently. Having no mixed year groups would also be much better for both the children and teachers. A Welsh medium school would be very beneficial to Pembroke and Pembroke Dock and I am sure there will be a demand for places, as had been shown by the number of pupils in Hafan y Mor school and Caer Elen. I have read the proposal and I do have concerns regarding traffic and congestion that could possibly occur on and around Henry Tudor school. There is a big problem with congestion at Grove school during school drop off/collection times with adults parking on double yellow lines at the moment and local residents have complained to the school. Taking into consideration the number of children in the secondary school and the potential number for the Welsh medium school Bush Hill and the top road to Pembroke Dock could potentially become a major issue. 119 Golden grove school is a bilingual school which proves affective. Welsh learn from english speakers and english learn from welsh speakers. Theres is a lot of support for both within the school. It is a waste of money yet again building a new school when something that is already available and affective. By taking away the welsh from the school is segregating the school. Children have rights of their own and by carrying on with this is taking away their rights to learn both languages. All members of the school staff and pupils work together especially the children. They play together in the playground so they are mixing with english and also teaching the welsh language as they play. Children are proud to be apart of golden grove school and by taking the welsh away is taking their rights to learn both languages!
Put money into providing training and support in schools, Equipment and education! 121 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 122 Ysgol Gelli Aur is currently the only Welsh medium provision in the Pembroke cluster and it’s only dual stream. There are a real lack of options for Welsh medium education for residents in Pembroke and Pembroke Dock. Standards at Gelli Aur seem to be dropping and many parents are choosing to opt for Ysgol Caer Elen which is now full. There needs to be another local offer on the table!
I agree there is a need for a new Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area to bring equity to the south of the county. This will only improve standards and help towards the WG target of achieving one million welsh speakers by 2050. 123 It should stay where it is so that both English and Welsh streams are treated equally. Both streams support each other. By doing this you are segregating and discriminating those who want to stay in the English stream. Local people are choosing the current Welsh stream in order to avoid secondary education in Pembroke, as it is so poor. Having had two children go through this set up current children needing
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sciences for future job prospects unless they are exceptionally bright or their parents pay for private lessons, which I have done and the school takes the credit for, they will fail in Pembroke secondary school. Pembroke school does not cater for the children who would be a grade c. They are only interested in lower ability offering vocational courses. The use an elite class for the brighter children and leave the average children to flounder. Welsh education should be about choice by having an all welsh school you take away the partnership of children equally working together to support and enhance both English and Welsh languages. It is important to use some welsh in society but also important to have a good ability to communicate in English on a global scale. Putting children in a welsh only speaking school will not help the Welsh government reach their welsh speakers targets. Improving the Welsh of all the children and staff in a duel stream school will reach out to more and create more welsh learners. Enhance and develop the site on Golden Grove school. Both English and Welsh will benefit. Everyone will be treated equally and fairly. Plenty of land to expand for future increase in class need. Listen to what parents have said about Pembroke school and sort out the lack of teaching. This has been an on going problem for years which has never been addressed by the council
124 I think it is a terrible shame to take the Welsh stream out of Golden Grove. It is a good school, where children are safe, happy and make good progress. It is inclusive rather than segrating children based on the language they are learning through.
Keep it as it is. 125 You have already put out a survey which had a very low support, it showed that the area did not support a further welsh medium requirement in this area
Grove already provides a good welsh medium schooling, if more is required invest in grove school and improve their facilities. 126 I think it's a positive step and encouraging with regard the welsh language 127 Haverfordwest is bursting! 128 I regret not having the opportunity to learn Welsh in a Primary school in Pembroke. (300 yrs of South Pembs. ancestors). My grandchildren, who knew no Welsh until school, have had nothing but benefits from attending Welsh Medium primary education in Carmarthenshire.
For someone whose ancestral family lived below the Landsker line, I fully support the provision of Welsh Medium education in Pembroke both for educational reasons and being not just the heritage of Wales but the whole of England, Wales and Southern Scotland. 129 It is vital that you build this school.
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130 This proposal is like a step back in time - segregating the 1st language English from the 1st language Welsh. Surely being a dual stream school is better for the children? How about we encourage that in the modern 21st century world we live in. We ask children to be tolerant of different cultures, ethnicities and languages but here are adults who are proposing complete intolerance and dividing them from their peers. The Welsh language should be a choice, but even those who are 1st language Welsh need to be capable of speaking good fluent English as it is one of the most desired and most used languages on the planet. Reading the Estyn report for the school it is very clear to see that those in authority in Wales are clearly bashing Gelli Aur/Golden Grove in order to create an outcome to fit in with their future targets , those in authority are clearly blinkered and not seeing the wonderful benefits this dual stream school has to offer. In addition to this apparent railroading of a new Welsh school you add insult to injury by proposing to build a new school in an area that’s already difficult to access most days due to the comprehensive school traffic and the busy leisure centre. It will create a very congested and dangerous area if another school was to be built there. Also what about the environmental impact?? You are proposing to build a new school in a green belt area! Let alone the costs of running another school - it’s very well saying you have the funds to build it but what happens after that?? The authorities have closed numerous establishments in the area recently due to numbers and cutbacks, as well as consistently squeezing school funds on the schools that currently exist.
Put more funding into the already capable dual stream school, extend that if necessary in the future as the site Gelli Aur/Golden Grove is on is plenty big enough. I’m sure Gelli Aur/Golden Grove would welcome some investment for upgrading and it would be at a fraction of the cost that you are proposing to spend on an unnecessary brand new school! 131 Unnecessary. I feel the current offer at Gelli Aur is adequate. Continue as is, or build an extension at Gelli Aur if necessary. The school sits on a very large plot. 132 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 133 I have many objections to the proposal to the new Welsh medium school in Pembroke. I do not believe that this will benefit the young learners in the local community. The main aim for this proposal is to achieve Welsh Government’s aim of 1 million Welsh speakers in Wales. As a dual stream school, Golden Grove pupils are more likely to achieve this goal by allowing children in the English classes to remain learning alongside the children in the Welsh classes. ESTYN's inspection report commented on how Welsh 2nd Language was strong within Golden Grove School and I believe that one of the reasons for this is because the staff within the school have the support from the Welsh speakers. The pupils are hearing Welsh daily and are progressing with their standards. By segregating the learners and staff, who have worked hard to be a united school by planning and learning together, will be detrimental to the pupils’ progress in our Welsh language. Surely learning and speaking Welsh should be a uniting force in Pembroke rather than being a factor to separate children in a local community? One of the aims of the New Curriculum is for children to be proud of their ‘Welshness’ as stated in one of the Four
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Purposes (Children are to be ethical, informed citizens of Wales). The Donaldson Report aims for children to improve their understanding of Wales and the language. By simply separating learners by the language that their parents choose for them to learn in, is not sending out the correct message to children. Pembrokeshire Council run the risk of children growing up thinking that they are not ‘Welsh enough’ as they are not learning in a Welsh speaking school. I truly believe that Golden Grove School is the best setting for children to feel proud to be Welsh and allow them to listen to role models and peers communicating in Welsh in everyday life. Golden Grove School is a school that should be looked upon as a model on how schools in Wales should be run in the future in order to move forward with the New Curriculum. Finally I do believe that the consultation report does not give an objective stance on this proposal. As I have previously stated, ESTYN noted that Welsh 2nd language was strong at the school, yet this was not included within the report. It is clear that the writers of this were biased and their main objective was to present Golden Grove School as a poor school which is not progressing in the Welsh language. As this report has been seen by parents, some may manipulated into thinking, by Pembrokeshire County Council, that having a separate school would be the best way forward, rather than the council providing an objective stance. Many comments fly about how Pembrokeshire Council has already made up its mind and that consultations are being carried out just as ‘lip service’. Unfortunately, the way that this consultation report was written does give that impression. I just hope that whoever is involved in this vote is able to see that this report is subjective, uninformed and has only included information that supports one view.
The money that is expected to be spent on the building of the new Welsh medium school should be put into expanding Golden Grove School and the Welsh provision. 134 As a parent of an English medium student in the area, I feel the proposal continues to encourage an elitist approach to the welsh language within education. Despite fully embracing the positive impact learning welsh has and the benefits there are to learning it up until Key stage 4, it seems there is a clear divide between support and funding for those children fluent in welsh, and those learning it as part of the curriculum. The proposal invokes a range of questions with regards to the need for a welsh medium school in the area, for example; what is the ratio of learners speaking Welsh and English, will there be equivalent funding and support for English medium schools? I am genuinely concerned for my child's future as it seems that those that are not fluent in Welsh within the area, are also having to accept a less than satisfactory standard of learning when they get to Secondary school. How many of the English medium secondary schools within the area have been rated as satisfactory or good? This I believe is due to funding and the perception of a range of stakeholders such as parents and teachers, whereby students are moving schools or teachers re-training to ensure they receive, or are part of, a good level of education. As a result, standards and behaviour also decline, causing negative connotations linked to English medium schools. The proposal will no doubt continue to fuel this elitist perception of the Welsh language within schools.
Fund and support all schools within the area equally.
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135 How does there seem to be this magic money pot for Welsh Language? Schools, and many other services, across Wales are struggling financially and yet, here’s £5.9 million for a new school when there’s a perfectly good one in Pembroke. I read last night Greenhill’s Estyn report which was embarrassing. There in a nutshell is why Ysgol Hafan y Mor has grown in popularity and probably will do now even more! I have a lot of friends in Tenby and they describe what happened with the segregation of the two schools - separated by a metal fence with very little collaboration between them - as educational apartheid. My children that went to Grove’s English classes really benefitted from being in and around Welsh speakers, and the council want to take that away? The million Welsh speakers’ target should focus on the ones who can’t speak Welsh, not separate them into a different school. If you want to improve and increase the take up of rugby, you don’t focus on ones that already play! As well as the Greenhill situation, the secondary schools in Milford, Pembroke and Haverfordwest have also had poor Estyn Outcomes and poor categorisation outcomes. What is the council’s strategy for this? Is it to get everyone in a school run by the head of Preseli? The council are clearly failing the vast majority of our secondary school children, with even Cllr Guy Woodham trying to pass the buck on Greenhill by almost saying that they have put the necessary support in, and it was disappointing that enough progress hadn’t been made. When are the council going to wake up and challenge education in Pembrokeshire - behaviour, exclusions, attendance, standards - the list goes on! I suppose the forthcoming inspection may shine further light on how well the education team are doing! And I haven’t even mentioned children’s mental health. Three children have died through suicide in recent years from YHT. What efforts are being made by the council on this issue, as my children aren’t aware of anything ‘extra’ in the school. How much money has gone to that? What is the council’s strategy for improving children’s mental health? Our daughter suffers from xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and, as good as YHT have been in supporting us, the real help came when we were proactive in getting help from the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. God only knows where we would have been without them. I’m sure there will be plenty of people in support of this, particularly proud Welsh speakers and those who are in the system. But I feel that these people are developing a selfish outlook on the development of the Welsh language, ‘I want my child to go to Preseli/ Caer Elen and I’m alright Jack’. All to avoid the big English secondary schools. If it’s the case that most parents are choosing Welsh to avoid certain schools, then this has to be addressed before any discussion on a new school as it just exacerbates the divide. Finally, my boys benefitted socially as well as linguistically from being in a dual stream school, playing with children from both sides of the school as they’re all from the Pembroke area. And likewise with children in the Welsh classes. This will cease with the creation of a new school.
Put the money where it’s needed in Pembrokeshire Schools, including making sure Grove has the capacity for any expansion- as it’a huge site. Formulate a strategic plan for equality in our education system so that all children can succeed in Pembrokeshire. Formulate a mental health strategic plan and invest heavily in this. Avoid segregation in education - be inclusive of the linguistic advantages of a dual stream school. (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document - potentially sensitive personal information)
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136 Important to give children in the area the opportunity to access Welsh medium education without having to travel 137 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 138 I feel that there is a need to support parents who want Welsh medium education for their children in Pembroke at a designated school rather than in a Welsh medium stream. It will provide an opportunity to nurture Welsh with regards to language and environment for pupils and staff and as such I believe that the number of parents who want Welsh medium education for their children will increase. This will also benefit pupils as they transfer to the secondary section of Caer Elen School. 139 I believe that a Welsh medium school is needed in the Pembroke area, as schools provide Welsh medium education in the Haverfordwest and Crymych area, so we need one in the Pembroke area to offer education to children who are not in those areas. If there was a Welsh medium school in Pembroke, pupils from that area would not be required to travel to schools in far away areas in order to receive Welsh medium education, and instead would be able to attend a school in their area. This will also increase the availability of school places in the rest of Pembrokeshire for children coming from that area.
None 140 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 142 There are not sufficient surplus places to warrant the building of a new school in this area. There is already welsh medium provision within the town, a new school would decimate the school population at that establishment. As seen in other areas where this has happened, several local schools will struggle to retain pupils when parents are offered the choice of a brand new school leading to knock on redundancy issues across the authority. If the money is ring fenced to welsh medium education can it not be used to strengthen the provision already in place in the authority? If it is not ring fenced then surely it can be used to strengthen all education across the authority. 143 The Governing Body of Lamphey Primary School do not support the proposal to establish a new Welsh medium primary school in Pembroke. Our rationale is - 1. All Welsh Medium schools in Pembrokeshire are placed in FSM quartile 1 with an average of 6.6%. In comparison, Ysgol Harri Tudur which is in quartile 4 with 24.4% of the pupils being FSM. Estyn states - 'There is a strong statistical link between poverty and low educational attainment. In general, learners from poorer families do not achieve as well as their peers.' Pupil Deprivation 2014, Estyn. We have grave concerns that FSM percentages will increase overtime at YHT and this will impact significantly on standards and provision. 2.There were many positive comments in the recent Estyn inspection about current provision at Gelli Aur and good progress has been made since this inspection across the school such as 'Pupils language skills are much improved. and 'Year group 36
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teachers across both the English and Welsh streams now plan effectively together ensuring pupils have equal access to the curriculum. 3. The document has been written with limited evidence to support the case for separate Welsh provision in Pembroke. There are many statements in the document such as, 'It is considered that....' which are not supported by any evidence. 4. Ysgol Gelli Aur, buildings and accommodation are currently graded as 'C' (poor), while other local schools still accommodate pupils in portable cabins (Lamphey). We have concerns that with a new build for a welsh school within the locality the cost of upgrading Gelli Aur in relation to the expectations of 21st Century Schools will not be fulfilled without extra revenue being made available. 5..The Consultation Document states that there is little evidence that recent growth in the numbers in the pupils in the Welsh stream, however the table on page 11 shows an increase in entries of seven 3yr olds entered in Jan 2016 to twenty 3yr olds entered in Sept 2019. This shows there is potential growth and sustainability at Ysgol Gelli Aur.
Maintain status quo. There is evidence as highlighted in our response that the number of pupils in the Welsh stream at Ysgol Gelli Aur does indicate growth. Estyn has reported there has been significant progress made at the school across both English and Welsh streams which shows the school has a Welsh Ethos which has impacted very recently on an increase in numbers attracted to the Welsh stream. 144 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 145 We lived in Pembroke Dock and took our daughter to Tenby for the nearest welsh medium primary school. We have now moved house to help support her Welsh medium education 146 This will put my English speaking grandchild at a disadvantage. By not having Welsh speaking teachers and children in the school will create a void in the already established Welsh Language which exists. My grandchild speaks basic Welsh which indeed provides a platform for her in later life. You say in a recent inspection Estyn said Welsh Speaking children did not speak the language in the playground yet you suggest in the new school they will, yet after school they can speak English to their friends in their social time. What is going to happen to those children where Welsh is not their first language? Are they not going to be taught any Welsh at all and surely they will be disadvantaged by not having their Welsh speaking peers in their school?
A new build perhaps in Golden Grove site. However, you have probably already made your mind up! 147 I completely and whole heartedly support the proposal. It is imperative that a new Welsh Primary is established in Pembroke for several reasons. 1. It will support the establishment and development of Ysgol Caer Elen. With out the new school in Pembroke, Ysgol Caer Elen will n ever reach capacity and therefore will never reach its true potential. 2. The current Welsh stream in Golden Grove has received negative feedback in their Estyn report and has dwindling numbers. This is a worrying prospect for the authority. There is evident need for a new Welsh school. 3. There is clear evidence that Welsh medium schools in Pembrokeshire have been a success i.e. Ysgol Caer Elen /
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Ysgol Hafan y Mor 4. It would be criminal to lose the money on offer to build a fantastic new school in the authority. 5. The development of a new school will bring new opportunities to Pembroke / Pembrokeshire i.e. work 148 I feel very strongly that the Welsh medium primary school in Pembroke needs to be established. After hearing all about the success of Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School it is clear that forming new Welsh-only schools works and is popular. It is very pleasing to see so much interest in Welsh medium education and therefore failing to take advantage of this golden opportunity would be a disgrace. 150 Whilst having a single Welsh school would benefit those in the Welsh stream, it will have a negative impact on the standards of Welsh in the English stream which will not support the county aim to get a million welsh speakers by 2050. At present the two streams work very well together and staff have worked extremely hard to rid the school of an English / Welsh rift. Currently we are very fortunate with the grounds we have at Gelli Aur where children can access our own woodland, pond and play areas - which they have set up through school council etc. Due to the large grounds and number of staff at our school, we are able to offer a huge variety of sporting activities. This is key for pupil wellbeing. In addition to this, two male staff members are key role models for our pupils. Separating the streams would mean that we would have no male staff to fulfil this role. At present, pupils from both streams participate in team events together and have developed strong friendships through such activities. In the consultation document, it makes reference to the success of Hafan y Mor since they became a solely Welsh school. However, national test results are lower than they are for pupils in Years 2 and 6 in our Welsh stream. When competing in the area Eisteddfod earlier this year, the standard of Welsh in the recitation competitions was clearly better from our pupils. Many parents have fed back to us on their views in having a new Welsh school and have stated that if we did separate, they would move their pupils to the English stream so that they could remain where they are.
I totally agree that there should be a drive to promote Welsh in the Pembroke area. This could be done by helping us promote our welsh stream and setting up a cylch meithrin on our site in order to provide Welsh as soon as children begin their school journey. Children from surrounding areas should be entitled to transport to our welsh stream which would help numbers in the Welsh classes grow, 151 Yes, great - good move Pembrokeshire County Council, let's make the most of that generous funding from WG. 152 There is already a well established provision for education through the medium of Welsh at Gelli Aur/Golden Grove. The provision of a new Welsh Medium school would have a detrimental effect on the ethos of that school community and also of the wider community. There would inevitably be a knock on effect to the newly established and improving Ysgol Harri Tudur/ Henry Tudor School as more pupils would be encouraged to move away from Pembroke for their continued education. Environmental impact is not to be dismissed either as apart from the impact of the new build and the effect of the increased pollution from additional traffic on an already very congested road, this is set to encourage more to eventually travel to Haverfordwest on already congested roads. Whilst the provision of Welsh medium education is desirable, in this case you are planning to remove an existing provision, which is improving, to recreate the provision just because money is on offer. Once the building work has been completed, assuming that this is yet again a done deal with the consultation
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being virtually meaningless, how will the running costs of that school be paid for? Reducing the funding for all other existing schools to pay for it is totally unacceptable and in fact this whole issue, it could be argued, verges on the realms of encouraging racism within our society. I feel that there is a hidden agenda in this plan as the emphasis for years has been the removal of spare school places, this would leave Gelli Aur/Golden Grove with spare capacity. I cannot be the only person who believes that the future of Lamphey School must also be under threat under these proposals.
To give assistance to Gelli Aur/Golden Grove to improve their existing facility with funding to further improve their standards of education through Welsh. As a past employee of this school I would highlight the problems of being able to recruit sufficient, suitably qualified staff in this area as most prefer posts in the Carmarthenshire area where far more of the population are Welsh speakers. 153 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 154 We do not support the proposal. The Welsh language should be an equal opportunity and access for all. Separating schools by language causes increased segregation by language and will be detrimental to the development of Welsh language for learners not in the Welsh setting. We want everyone to be able to speak Welsh and this can be helped by having Welsh speakers in all schools. Taking the Welsh expertise of both staff and pupils out of English medium schools will make it harder for all other schools to make progress in developing Welsh language skills. The consultation document is biased and not completely factually accurate. To have a million Welsh speakers by 2050, you won't achieve it through segregation, but you do it by focussing on the non Welsh speakers.
If Welsh medium language education is in high demand in the area, the governing body of PDCS propose that the school create a Welsh unit within the school. We believe that by keeping the expertise within the school will support the development of the Welsh language for everyone. 155 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 156 Firstly, how WG can provide these large sums of money to promote the Welsh Language when education budgets across the country are being stretched to the max is incomprehensible to me. We are having children as young as 9 in our school say they want to ‘kill themselves’ and this doesn’t meet the criteria for support. As Dr Simmonds has told us, these comments have become the norm. Children’s mental health is a real concern for us at school and in recent years, three children from this area have committed suicide with one very recent incident in Pembroke Dock. What financial support has gone into this area to support this issue? I fear very little. The consultation document was an insult to the good work that goes on in Golden Grove where no strengths were identified, and support for the proposal are, at best, built on speculation. To presume that a school in Pembroke would follow a similar path to Hafan y Mor in Tenby
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is wishful thinking as they are two very different demographic areas. Knowing a lot of people from the Tenby area has given me an insight to the rise in popularity of the school and it hasn’t arisen from a sudden urge to speak Welsh, it is out of a choice to avoid Greenhill School and go to the 3rd ranked best school in Wales. This is not equitable. How can PCC sit back and watch the demise of secondary education in the big English-medium secondary schools in Pembrokeshire, as this hasn’t happened overnight! This has been around 10 years or so, all with the ‘inspirational’ Kate Evan-Hughes at the top or near the top. PCC should be focussing whole-heartedly on every child receiving an equitable education in their schools. To hear people describe the situation in Tenby as Educational Apartheid should be a concern to all of us. What’s also interesting is the continual comparisons to Hafan y Mor, yet our test scores were higher than theirs for Year 2 and Year 6 last summer (the only test scores that are available). What was also interesting was the Teacher Assessments for the school clearly bore no relation to the test scores. They were clearly very lucky that they didn’t have the same inspection team that we had as that would certainly have affected their judgements. Also, the document contradicts itself. At the start it says that there is scope for a new school to deal with the large pupil numbers in the area. Yet later on it actually highlights a significant drop in occupancy rates leading up to 2024. Therefore, the potential yield of 75 children from new housing developments across Pembroke and Pembroke Dock would be easily catered for within the figures that have been produced. To add to this, it’s interesting that the plans for the new school would include a Cylch Meithrin. This is something that we have asked for at the school over a number of years to no avail. A Cylch Meithrin would allow us to provide a good early start for the Welsh Language at the school, which we could build on. This would have an impact on our ability to grow our Welsh-stream even further. Welsh Second Language came out as a real strength of the school, which is certainly due to the fact that we are dual stream. I think this is actually the most important factor in all of this consultation as what the proposal is saying is that First Language Welsh Education is the only focus to WG’s aim of getting a million Welsh speakers. It is saying that Welsh delivery to the 240 children in our English Stream isn’t as important. We could understand and would support the proposal if it was Milford, for example, as there is no provision in that very large town and a good number from the town are being bussed to Caer Elen. If this decision goes ahead, it is basically telling us that W2L isn’t now as important so we can focus on the other areas. We as a staff also felt concern over Kate’s comments regarding a greater need for the Welsh Language and how Monmouthshire as an authority are putting a much higher priority on this for their appointments. How long will it be before being Welsh/ non-Welsh but English speaking will be a protected characteristic in the school’s strategic equality plans! The document states that both streams would be better placed to go off in their own directions with the onset of the New Curriculum. We have worked far more collaboratively of late and are working strongly together on the NC. The statement is totally inaccurate. Support from the LA on the NC has been non-existent and we have done it ourselves to good effect. What’s also worth noting is that the inspection identified the English Stream to be far stronger than the Welsh Stream and that the expertise exists within the school to support the Welsh Stream, which is what has happened. This will not be available if the streams were separated as, like the Tenby situation, the schools will be in competition with one another. Finally, the wide ranging activities and
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experiences that the school offers will be detrimentally affected by the change, more so on the Welsh Stream. The ability to provide the range of clubs, music and drama provision will diminish.
Appoint a director who has a strategy for improving education across Pembrokeshire for all children. It appears to me that she wants to leave a legacy of increasing Welsh provision at the expense of standards across our county. Have a Council that challenges WG on their spending priorities. 157 Ridiculous social engineering to impose a Welsh speaking school on an English speaking area 158 There is no calling for a welsh medium primary school. How is the school going to survive with single year classes if it doesn’t have the numbers to fill them. How can you justify more money per welsh speaking child than English??? No evidence this school is needed. You need to spend money on existing schools before creating a school that will only take money away from existing ones. The proposed sites are ridiculous and will only add to an already dangerous traffic situation. This whole thing has not been thought out well. Welsh speakers/ middle classes gain to the detriment of English speakers. Improve your existing schools and the welsh unit at a school that is already providing the service & out performing other local welsh medium primaries 160 I do think there needs to be a Welsh primary school in Pembroke but I think the location is wrong. There is already a busy secondary (English speaking) school using the same entrance. 161 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 162 Ludicrous. Invest money in the school already providing Welsh educational provision in the area - Gelli Aur! 163 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 165 Money needs to be spent on the current schools in the cluster that have inadequate buildings and facilities. There isn’t the need for a Welsh medium school as most pupils are from English speaking backgrounds.
Invest in the current schools. 166 My son already attends Gelli Aur and his class sizes are relatively small in the welsh stream. Parents are saying they would send their children to a welsh speaking school if it was available but it is available and not being utilised! A new school would be a complete waste. Invest the money into Golden Grove to improve its existing welsh unit which is of an excellent standard and no where near used to its full potential 167 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 41
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(Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 168 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 169 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 170 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 171 Much needed provision and absolutely essential in order to grow the number of Welsh speakers in a traditional English only area.
None 172 I feel that the council’s proposal is a positive step towards ensuring greater choice for parents, i.e. by giving children the opportunity to thrive in an immersive Welsh setting such as Hafanymor in Tenby. Grove remains an English medium school at its core, with a Welsh unit add-on. This seems to be reflected in last year's estyn report. 174 Golden Grove already serves the Pembroke area. Location - I have been informed that the proposed new school may be located on the existing Greenlinks site. It is unacceptable that this proposal could compromise Greenlinks. Green links provides a lifeline for pupils already failed by mainstream education and every effort should be made to preserve and improve this facility.
Money could be better spent on improving the education standard of existing schools (which are poor) and employ more teachers (of good standard). An alternative location should be considered so that the education of others is not compromised for the sake of a new provision that already exists in the form of Golden Grove. 175 Members feel there is sufficient allocation of schools in the area to cater for the Welsh need within education. Members did not agree with the proposed site for the school. Welsh Education remains within the current schools being provided within the county 176 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 177 The current set up of welsh and English medium at Grove is working. The cost of building a new school would be better invested in existing education facilities. Maybe increase the number of teachers/classes at the existing school. The grounds at Grove allow for the provision of excellent extra curricular after school activities which will not be available at the new school. 42
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Keep the existing set up, use the money that has been earmarked to build this school on improving existing facilities. 178 It will effect not just English stream but the welsh stream of children with the schools budget.
Leave Golden Grove as it is. It has been working perfectly for both streams. 179 My son already attends Ysgol Gelli Aur through the medium of Welsh and has received a fantastic education so far. He is settled, happy and thrives in school. I am strongly against the proposal of a new school as I feel this is totally unnecessary as Welsh provision is already available.
To leave the Welsh education as it is in Ysgol Gelli Aur. This proposal is causing unnecessary stress to parents, staff and children. Ysgol Gelli Aur is a fantastic school that supports children of both the English and Welsh language, and this works well. The dual stream system works exceptionally well and it’s lovely to see the cooperative and supportive engagement children and staff have with one another with the language barriers not affecting any aspect. It’s also nice to see the high levels of second language Welsh and witness those children in the Welsh stream teaching the English stream children some Welsh phrases. When choosing to place my child in the Welsh stream I made this decision based on the fact that his level of English would be of a high standard also. He has the opportunity to make friendship groups within both streams and communicate in both English and Welsh. He is settled and happy within his learning environment and I feel that moving schools will have an effect on his personal wellbeing and also his learning. I am very unsure as to whether my child will move to proposed school or whether he will just continue his education through English, as I don’t think he will want to move from an environment that he feels happy, safe and settled in. As a former pupil of Ysgol Gelli Aur and a teacher myself it is so sad to see the prospect of this school closing its Welsh unit and becoming purely English medium, especially when the school is working well as it is. The children and staff of Ysgol Gelli Aur are like a family and it’s such a shame to think that this could come to an end. I hope the views and opinions of all will be considered as I feel the majority will support leaving things as they are. There is no need to change something that has no reason to be changed. 180 The schools in Pembroke , particularly the secondary school are desperate for money with half spent on the secondary education than their equivalent in England, the Government should be concentrating their money on improving education for all not just welsh medium education when they have education for all correct it will promote social mobility of a Welsh medium school is opened in Pembroke at their stage it will be detrimental to pupils in English medium education and will effectively create a 2 tier education system and restrict inclusion and continue the postcode lottery of educational services in this county continuing the sub standard funding the pupils in the county have from the Welsh government! Yes please put proposed money into funding the current schools properly as a family of schools we have 2 green primary schools all others are red or amber! The secondary school was rated on the bottom 3 of Wales in the league tables last year! The funding that the pupils
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receive is inadequate! There are issues in all areas of education. In Pembrokeshire give the funding to sort out the issues before opening more schools to my mind this is penalising the children who are already in education and continuing the postcode lottery of education in this country. My 13 year old should have the same opportunity’s as a 13 year old anywhere else in the uk however he has half the funding that my cousins have in Surrey how is this fair or rights and how can they justify spending money on new schools when the current ones are so strapped for cash it is ridiculous! 181 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 182 The comments presented within this response come from the Governing Body (GB) of Ysgol Harri Tudor/Henry Tudor School and were raised during a consultation meeting with the GB held on 4 Dec 19. The following were given as individual statements, discussed, summarised and agreed by all present. Proposal Logic, Need and Strategy ● There was unanimous agreement that there was no strong case to build the school in the first place; instead it was suggested that the funding be returned to the Welsh Government (WG) and that it could be suggested to WG that the money be used instead to raise standards for all pupils across all sectors to promote the AOLE wellbeing agenda. It could also be used to assist the WG support the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act initiative, to safeguard school budgets across Wales or to develop bilingual schools. ● A number of Governors asked why St Mary’s school building could not be used. ● It was suggested that some of the funding could be better used to allow/support Golden Grove/Gelli Aur, the Pembroke cluster’s Dual Stream primary school, to enhance and develop its current provision. ● It was also suggested that perhaps the funding could be used to enable the other Pembroke cluster primary schools to develop dual streams so that there is fairness and equity in the educational offer. ● There were comments on whether the National Mission to achieve 1m welsh speakers could better be achieved through bi-lingual and immersive learning of welsh in a dual stream setting, given that we live and work in a bilingual country. ● The comment of substantial demand (relating to the need for the new school) within the consultation document was questioned and, in particular, what the supporting evidence for this was. Impact on Other Schools ● There was significant concern raised over the potentially detrimental impact the proposal would have on other schools (including our own) and directly linked with funding and reduced pupil numbers in both the medium and long term. This poses a risk to closure on other primary schools. ● Whilst there is no concrete evidence for this, is the parental preference for Welsh Medium provision because of the real desire for their children to be educated in Welsh? How will the improving schools ever be given consideration? ● What is the likely impact on the GreenLinks Community Farm provision which provides valuable provision for a range of pupils from a number of different areas, not just the Pembroke and Pembroke Dock area? Impact on the Pembroke Learning Campus (PLC) ● Traffic on the PLC, which includes Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School, Pembroke Leisure Centre, the soon to be Community Learning Centre, GreenLinks, Bush House, the Greenway Garden Centre plus school caretaker accommodation, is currently difficult to manage; a new school would add to the substantial Health and Safety risk to parents/pupils/campus stakeholders due to an obvious increase in traffic. ● There was significant concern raised over future access by
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emergency services to the PLC, both entering and driving on the campus. This concern was particularly highlighted with respect to the Bush House care home. ● There needed to be consultation with all PLC stakeholders; in particular, with Bush House care home. ● Significant concerns were raised over the potentially adverse environmental impact as a result of the build of the school, and its subsequent operation. Much of this concern was with future traffic levels and increased pollution. Other ● There was disappointment that elected LA members who are on the school GB were excluded from the school consultation meeting; as a result, they were unable to hear the voice and views of those Governors present. ● Although sufficient funds seemed to have been allocated by WG to build the school, it was questioned whether there were sufficient funds to support its routine operation and at what cost to others in this area ● There was concern that the proposal would dilute the abilities of Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School to address Welsh education. Second language Welsh seen as having much less importance. ● If the Welsh medium primary school proposal went ahead, it was suggested that Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School would need to consider offering a Welsh medium stream at 11+.
● There was unanimous agreement that there was no strong case to build the school in the first place; instead it was suggested that the funding be returned to the Welsh Government (WG) and that it could be suggested to WG that the money be used instead to raise standards for all pupils across all sectors to promote the AOLE wellbeing agenda. It could also be used to assist the WG support the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act initiative, to safeguard schools’ budgets across Wales or to develop bilingual schools. ● It was suggested that some of the funding could be better used to allow/support Golden Grove/Gelli Aur, the Pembroke cluster’s Dual Stream primary school, to enhance and develop its current provision ● What about asking Welsh Government to consider the Pembroke cluster to develop bilingual streams in all of its schools- then parents have the option of their preferred school and Welsh language provision in one place. That would significantly help to develop 1m Welsh speakers. Learners at 11+ could then feed into a new Welsh stream in the local comprehensive school, rather than having to travel to Haverfordwest or Crymych, cheaper and more environmentally friendly. 183 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 184 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 185 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 186 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available)
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187 The establishment of a new 3-11 Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will allow for the establishment of a central hub for Welsh language community activities similar to that of Ysgol Hafan y Môr in Tenby and Caer Elen School in Haverfordwest. This means key links with agencies such as the Urdd, Menter Iaith, Ioga Babi, Clwb Cwtsh, Welsh Education for Adults etc. 188 The proposal to establish a 3-11 Welsh medium School is a natural step towards improving and enriching the learning environment and also increasing the capacity of Welsh medium provision in the south of the county. 189 Absolutely vital in the growth of the Welsh language in Pembrokeshire, also to keep the numbers feeding Ysgol Caer Elen in order for it to continue to be a success. 190 I strongly believe that the County Council should have provision for Welsh medium education in a primary school close to the new school, Henry Tudur School. And Welsh medium education should be extended and provided when they join the County's secondary schools. After all, education is a continuous process and our assembly’s target of achieving 50k will not be delivered without considerable effort from the world of education. It is crucial that Wales is not a West England county and the way to do that is to raise awareness in young children of their history and language and the bounty that Welsh people have to offer the world, and the best way to do this is through the language. Once at ease in their Language, doors will then open to them in fields such as literature, music, poetry and more. Children’s parents are beginning to realise just how much has been lost with regard to Welsh history, culture and identity over the centuries and they want to see their children developing as Welsh people. It is bilingualism that is important of course but how will children be bilingual without Welsh? Englishness is everywhere so focus on the Welsh language and it will give them bilingualism. Learning the language brought so many alternative riches of Wales to me and I would like to see children, particularly around Pembroke, having the same opportunities that I had. Without a primary school, and followed by a secondary school, it is not possible to awaken their consciences to the fact that they are Welsh, a separate nation, and that Welsh is the official language of their country, their ancestors and people around them and it is the Language that is a fundamental part of their identity. I am therefore imploring our County Council to establish a Welsh-only medium primary school in the vicinity of Pembroke.
If there is not enough money available from our County Council to establish a brand new primary school, then turn Golden Grove School into a monolingual Welsh medium school. The objection by the current headteacher is acknowledged but the majority of the teachers are Welsh speakers so it should be an easy move to deliver. 191 Following the opening of Caer Elen School in September of last year, it is a great example of Welsh medium education growth in a traditionally non-Welsh area. If a new Welsh medium 3-11 school were to be established in the Pembroke area this would result in a significant increase in parents transferring their children to Welsh medium education. We must also bear in mind the establishment of Hafan y Môr School as a Welsh School – the school continues to grow and I do not think we can hide from the fact that both schools have contributed to the Welsh language and to reaching the million by 2050.
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192 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 193 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 194 Welsh medium education needs to be developed in the South of the County. The county has a duty to offer an entirely Welsh education and service to the families in the area. The education that is currently offered is limited. Parents are calling for a new Welsh medium school in Pembroke. 195 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 196 Bring a full Welsh medium school in compared to a Welsh stream in a school will improve the children's use of the language and see it as a social skill other than just in the classroom. I have seen this from the children who go to Welsh medium schools such as Caer Elen and Hafan y mor 197 It is good that there is another Welsh medium school in Pembrokeshire. It facilitates more Welsh speakers for that area of the county. 198 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 199 This is essential. The council and Welsh government has committed to raising the number of children who are fluent in Welsh and English. This level of fluency only occurs in a fully Welsh medium. School environment - a Welsh stream in an English school just does not achieve the same level of fluency. We have an opportunity to give our children real choice of bilingual fluency rather than partial ability in a second language. The immediate success and growth of caer elen junior is testament to the desire forn this in our community and it will also contribute to a greater number of children continuing their Welsh language skills into secondary school and feeding caer elen secondary. Being fluent in 2 languages creates real national pride and life skills. Please continue to give this gift to our children. 200 Badly needed in this area 201 I support the proposal to extend the County's provision of Welsh-medium education in the Pembroke area, but this particular proposal does not go far enough. When PCC consulted with staff and parents at Ysgol Glan Cleddau regarding the formation of a new 3-16 Welsh- medium school in Haverfordwest, both parents and teachers raised concerns that the proposed school was not big enough. PCC chose not to act on those concerns. Those concerns have proven to be true - Ysgol Caer Elen is constantly expanding with new starters, year group numbers far exceed allocated numbers (with no additional support for teachers and pupils), and it is farcical that a new building is now too small for the number of pupils in attendance. For example: Year 6 pupils (in the primary provision) are forced to use rooms which were designed for secondary education provision. Less than 2 years later, PCC has reneged on the assurances it gave to parents that pupils would not be able to "cross the divide" between primary and secondary. Parents from pupils in the Pembroke catchment 47
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area have moved their children to Ysgol Caer Elen, which demonstrates a high demand for Welsh-medium education far outside the reaches of Haverfordwest. I have serious concerns that Ysgol Caer Elen will not be able to accommodate all secondary pupils (ages 11-16) and urge PCC to consider a more long-term view in these proposals (as opposed to the more short-sighted view taken in respect of Ysgol Caer Elen). A new 3-16 Welsh-medium school should be opened for Pembroke and Pembroke Dock.
Parents from pupils in the Pembroke catchment area have moved their children to Ysgol Caer Elen. This demonstrates in practice a high demand for Welsh-medium education far outside the reaches of Haverfordwest. I have serious concerns that Ysgol Caer Elen will not be able to accommodate all secondary pupils (ages 11-16) from the relevant catchment area, and urge PCC to consider a more long-term view in these proposals (as opposed to the more short-sighted view taken when creating Ysgol Caer Elen). A new 3-16 or 3-18 Welsh- medium school should be opened for Pembroke and Pembroke Dock. 203 The comments presented within this response come from the Governing Body (GB) of Ysgol Gelli Aur/ Golden Grove School and were raised during a consultation meeting with the GB held on Thursday 5th December 2019. • We acknowledge that demands exist for Welsh Education in the area. • We consider that we meet the existing need and that the dual stream aspect of this school is a real positive, particularly in respect of the delivery of second language Welsh in the English Stream. • Our Estyn Inspection report commentary on Welsh Second Language was not highlighted as a strength of the school in the consultation document, though was written as follows: – ‘Pupils’ Welsh language skills in the English stream are developing well and most show interest and enthusiasm during lessons. In the foundation phase, most make appropriate progress and show a good understanding of familiar words and phrases in a range of contexts. Across key stage 2, most develop their understanding of words and phrases and use them confidently to begin to express their thoughts and ideas. Many are developing appropriate reading and writing skills by following familiar sentence patterns.’ • There is no guarantee that the referenced housing developments are going to be delivered, or that the potential pupil yield will come to fruition. • Based on the Pupil Forecasts and Occupancy 2020 – 2024 (as detailed on page 12), it shows that the school will have sufficient capacity to accept the additional potential yield (75 children) on the existing school site without the need of an extension/ new build. (It is highly unlikely that all 75 pupils would choose Gelli Aur/ Golden Grove, so we do not consider that capacity within the Pembroke/Pembroke Dock catchments is likely to become an issue). • There is a risk that this proposal will risk the sustainability of existing schools within the catchment area, especially if the demographic and/or the “assumptive” house building programme does not impact as anticipated. • Our past experience of budget overspends having a knock-on effect to revenue budget. • The dual stream model provides English Stream children with far more exposure to the Welsh language. • The report highlights as a strength that the majority of Year 6 pupils transfer to Welsh-medium secondary provision. We would consider that this trend would continue as Ysgol Caer Elen is geographically a much more favourable option than previously was the case. Indeed, this is borne out by the fact that over the last two years, 100% of our pupils have transferred to Ysgol Caer Elen. • Another factor to consider is the perceived poor provision of English-medium secondary education in the catchment
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area which has resulted in ten children transferring from English to Welsh provision since September. The GB has noted that we have seen an increase in the demand. Therefore, the highlighted potential risk of pupils opting out of Welsh-medium does not appear to apply. • The GB recognise the strong progress that has been made since the Inspection and, indeed, the strength of the school is as a result of the cooperative and collaborative approach between staff across the streams. • The provisional categorisation for the school, taking account of the above, is Yellow. • Case for Change – Is this the most effective use of WG money? We understand a large proportion of children at Ysgol Caer Elen are from the Milford area (we were told 90 in total), but we are not aware of a recent feasibility study considering this area as an alternative, which would expand provision across the wider geographical area. • The recent assessment did not seek the views of the existing children who are going to be impacted, despite the school offering to share our own findings. • The positioning document contained a lot of jargon which we felt would have been unclear to non-educationalists. • This proposition would not be on the table if 100% capital funding wasn’t available, which we consider undermines the educational case. • Pembroke and Tenby are very different demographic areas and freedom of choice is already far greater in the Pembroke area. • We have tried to establish Cylch Meithrin provision within our setting but have not been successful in this aim. We note that this will be now available in the proposed school. • There are a number of opinions stated throughout the consultation document, with very little established as fact. For example, how will well-being and attitudes to learning improve when the specialist staff will be the same? • Similarly, the anticipation that all pupils will transfer to the new school differs from our understanding. A number of parents have expressed the view that being part of a dual stream school was part of the attraction in choosing both streams here. • Because of our existing size, we are able to offer a wider range of experiences and activities that will not be replicated, such as, drama, orchestra and wide ranging inclusive sport provision. • The preferred location of the school has raised concerns in terms of its environmental impact, especially in terms of traffic and air quality impact. • Building an additional school will have an extra impact on all revenue budgets as it is recognised that it is unlikely to be cost neutral. Whilst the capital spend is centrally funded, the cost per pupil increases significantly, which will have a negative impact across Pembrokeshire. • We have been made aware that individuals from areas not affected by this proposal have been proactively encouraged to respond positively in support of the proposal during the consultation process.
Develop and enhance the current provision at Ysgol Gelli Aur/ Golden Grove School, including the setting up of a Cylch Meithrin. 204 Welsh medium education should receive equal status and funding in Pembrokeshire and a Primary school dedicated to providing Welsh medium only would enable the language to be accessible to many more students than is currently possible in Pembroke. I have no complaints to make about the education that my children have received in Ysgol Gelli Aur but I would anticipate that a dedicated school would enable children to progress more efficiently. 205 They have a welsh school - golden grove. Get rid of the current head and get one more like xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and the welsh facility there will go back to how it was. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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(Comments redacted for the purpose of this document - potentially sensitive personal information) 206 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 207 My child attends Ysgol Gelli Aur in the Welsh language stream and I whole heartedly disagree with this proposal. She lives in an English speaking household and at only 6 she is already practically fluent in Welsh. While her developing her Welsh Language is important to me so is her attending a school that has character, school spirit and somewhere she feels like part of a community. I work within education and I am aware that these aspects of school life seem to be missing from the new build schools for some reason along with the lack of outside facilities that Gelli Aur have in abundance. I would also like to mention that the current Head of Gelli Aur is fanastic and I trust him with my childs education. I suggest that Gelli Aur is left as it is and Welsh provision is provided in areas of Pembrokeshire were it currently isn't available eg Milford Haven. 208 Why?????? Kids learning in welsh really struggle at 16+ and going to uni. Its detrimental to their education and stupid.
Put the money into school resources instead of building yet another school 211 I feel there would be huge advantages for our children to be in a full Welsh Medium School. I believe it will give them more opportunities to hear the Welsh language during the day especially considering that a high % of the children come from non-Welsh families 212 There is strong support for the Welsh language in the Pembroke area and providing a Welsh medium school would be a natural step towards improving and enriching the learning environment and also increasing the provision of Welsh medium education in South Pembrokeshire. The recent growth of Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School - areas that are traditionally non-Welsh speaking, is an example of the demand for Welsh medium education in the south of the county and I feel that the Pembroke area is the next natural location to establish a 3-11 Welsh primary school. Opening a new Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will allow for the establishment of a central hub for Welsh language community activities similar to that of Ysgol Hafan y Môr in Tenby and Caer Elen School in Haverfordwest. It would be possible to have key links with agencies such as the Urdd, Menter Iaith, Ioga Babi, Clwb Cwtsh, Welsh Education for Adults, to name but a few. These children will be able to move on naturally to Caer Elen School for their Secondary education. There is already collaboration between the Welsh language stream at Gelli Aur School and Caer Elen School. This is an excellent opportunity to transform education in one of the most deprived areas of the authority. It is also important to remember that the proposal would fit in with the national strategies in terms of increasing the number of Welsh speakers to a million by 2050 214 There is welsh provision in this area. Money should be spent improving existing schools in Pembrokeshire
Put the money into the schools that need it! 50
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216 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 219 There is already sufficient provision at golden grove.
There are several empty schools around the area, why waste our money building a new one. Refurbish and reuse if we must have another school. Needless waste of money 220 I believe that more schools are needed that provide Welsh medium education and Welshness in the Pembroke area. This should increase the growth of Welsh speakers to meet a target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050. 221 • A Language Centre is located on the campus of Caer Elen School in order to provide courses for latecomers. The centre serves all the primary schools in the catchment area of Caer Elen School including Golden Grove school. I see the centre as key to ensuring that Pembrokeshire increases the % of pupils who can speak Welsh and consequently contributes positively to the government's target of a million speakers by 2050. Caer Elen School and Ysgol Hafan y Môr are great examples of Welsh medium education growth in traditional non-Welsh medium areas. If a new Welsh medium 3-11 school were to be established in the Pembroke area this would result in a significant increase in parents transferring their children to Welsh medium education. Welsh medium education needs to be extended and developed in the south of the County and the Pembroke area is the next natural location. The challenges of implementing a mainstream school are obvious and establishing a 3-11 primary school will be a natural step and a great opportunity to transform education in one of the most deprived areas of the authority. Crucially, the proposal fits with local and national strategies for increasing the number of Welsh speakers aiming for a million Welsh speakers in Wales by 2050.
222 I believe that the proposal of establishing a Welsh medium primary school in the Pembroke area is an invaluable proposition. This Welsh medium school will increase the capacity of Welsh speakers in the south of the County and will lead to more Welsh speakers in Pembrokeshire. The advantages of speaking Welsh undoubtedly reflect the importance of increasing the provision of Welsh medium education in our County and opening the doors for young people in the future. There is already close collaboration between the Welsh stream at Golden Grove school and Caer Elen School, with a number of Golden Grove pupils attending the Language Centre at Caer Elen School which is already evolving Welsh language provision and is strengthening the transition between the two schools. In establishing a Welsh Primary School in Pembroke this would ensure a natural flow of pupils to Caer Elen School, which is the mother school to the Pembroke area as these pupils would wish to continue with their secondary education through the medium of Welsh. The establishment of a Welsh school in the Pembroke area would create a focal point for the area to promote Welsh language community activities. The success of Welsh language social activities such as Clwb Cwtsh, Baby Yoga and Welsh for Adults in the Haverfordwest can already be seen as a result of the opening of Caer Elen School and the Welsh school in Pembroke would also be able to offer these opportunities to the
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community in the area Pembrokeshire. The exceptional growth of Caer Elen School and Ysgol Hafan y Môr is pure evidence of the demand for Welsh medium education in our County in areas that would not traditionally be considered as Welsh medium areas. The Pembroke area is a perfect location in order to target the next area for increasing the number of Welsh speakers in our County. There is no doubt that if we are to achieve the goal of a million Welsh speakers by 2050 then we must take action and increase the number of people who can speak the language in our County. 223 The establishment of a new Welsh medium primary school in the Pembroke area will undoubtedly be a golden opportunity to develop and promote the Welsh language in the South of the County and provide invaluable opportunities and experiences for the children in the catchment area. With the establishment of a new Welsh medium stream school there will be an increase in the natural use of the Welsh language across the school and socially compared to the current situation in a two stream school and undoubtedly this will lead to an increase in the number of Welsh speakers, not only those being taught to speak Welsh, but individuals who choose to speak and use Welsh in their day-to-day lives. Needless to say, the approval of these types of new Welsh institutions is essential for the realisation of the government's target of a million speakers by the year 2050. Following the resounding success of establishing a new Welsh medium 3 - 16 school, Caer Elen School in Haverfordwest, which certainly bears testament to the demand for Welsh medium education in the south of the county, it is good to see the same growth in the Pembroke area. 224 There is strong support for the Welsh language in the Pembroke area and the establishment of a Welsh medium school will provide a focus for this support. The proposal to establish a 3-11 Welsh medium School is a natural step towards improving and enriching the learning environment and also increasing the capacity of Welsh medium provision in the south of the county. The establishment of a 3-11 Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will ensure a natural and increasing flow of pupils to Caer Elen School – the mother school for pupils in the Pembroke area
There are loads of linguistic errors in this document. Why not appoint someone who can translate and proofread correctly? 225 There is currently concern about the Welsh language at Golden Grove School following Estyn's report in 2018. The establishment of a Welsh medium 3-11 school in Pembroke would also allow increased use of the Welsh language as well as the establishment of a central community hub which runs Welsh activities. The establishment of a Welsh medium school is likely to follow the growth and success of Ysgol Hafan y Môr in Tenby and Caer Elen School in Haverfordwest in terms of school numbers and ultimately Welsh speakers. This will undoubtedly deliver a huge growth towards a million Welsh speakers by 2050. 226 We can already see close collaboration between Golden Grove School (Welsh medium stream) and Caer Elen School in evolving Welsh language provision; implementing transition systems and pupils attending Caer Elen School Language Centre. There is currently concern about Welsh language standards at Golden Grove School following Estyn's report in 2018. The establishment of a new 3-11 Welsh medium school would allow increased use of Welsh on the school corridors and yard. The current situation of a two stream school tends to water
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down the use of the language and restricts teachers from implementing robust linguistic rules. The establishment of a new 3-11 Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will allow for the establishment of a central hub for Welsh language community activities similar to that of Ysgol Hafan y Môr in Tenby and Caer Elen School in Haverfordwest. This means key links with agencies such as the Urdd, Menter Iaith, Ioga Babi, Clwb Cwtsh, Welsh Education for Adults etc. 227 The establishment of a 3-11 Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will ensure a natural and increasing flow of pupils to Caer Elen School – the mother school for pupils in the Pembroke area. The current situation of a two stream school at Golden Grove tends to water down the use of the language and restricts teachers from implementing robust linguistic rules. The recent outstanding growth of Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School is an example of the demand for Welsh medium education in the south of the county. I see the Pembrokeshire area as the next natural location to establish a 3-11 Welsh primary school. A Language Centre is located on the campus of Caer Elen School in order to provide courses for latecomers. The centre serves all the primary schools in the catchment area of Caer Elen School including Golden Grove school. I see the centre as key to ensuring that Pembrokeshire increases the % of pupils who can speak Welsh and consequently contributes positively to the government's target of a million speakers by 2050 228 The establishment of a new Welsh medium school is very beneficial for feeding children into secondary education such as the Caer Elen and ensuring a natural and growing flow of Welsh language education. This has added to a more effective transition between primary and secondary school which will be very beneficial for the children in Pembroke. I believe that this increases the number of Welsh speakers and creates relationships between the primary and secondary school by using the language centre to promote standard language to meet appropriate levels of attendance at secondary school. 229 The recent growth of Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School bears testimony of the demand for Welsh medium education in the south of the county. In this regard I see the Pembrokeshire area as the natural setting to establish the next 3-11 Welsh primary school. The establishment of a Welsh medium stream school will lead to raising young people's linguistic standards. The establishment of a new 3-11 Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will allow for the establishment of a central hub for Welsh language community activities similar to that of Ysgol Hafan y Môr in Tenby and Caer Elen School in Haverfordwest. This means key links with agencies such as the Urdd, Menter Iaith, Ioga Babi, Clwb Cwtsh, Welsh Education for Adults etc. The Welsh language needs further development in the South of the County and this is an excellent opportunity to do so, it is too good a chance to lose. 230 I support this proposal on the basis that there is strong support for the Welsh language in the Pembroke area and establishing a Welsh medium school will meet the demand for this support. There is a need to expand the provision of Welsh medium education in the South of the County and so this proposal is a natural step for this development. The establishment of this school would also ensure the success of the newly opened Caer Elen School in Haverfordwest, with a stream of children attending that school to continue their education through the medium of Welsh. There has been a significant increase in the number of children attending Caer Elen School and Ysgol
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Hafan y Môr in recent years which clearly shows a high demand for Welsh medium education in the county. I see this provision of 3-11 education as key in the Pembroke area in order to ensure that Pembrokeshire increases the percentage of pupils who speak Welsh and consequently contributes positively to the government's target of a million speakers by 2050. 231 The proposal to establish a 3-11-year-old Welsh medium school is a key step in ensuring that we develop as many Welsh speakers as possible. Anything that encourages young children to learn and use the Welsh language in Pembrokeshire is crucial. The recent outstanding growth of Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School shows the demand for Welsh medium education in the south of the Pembrokeshire. Building a school in Pembroke is therefore a natural step to ensure that children from that area receive Welsh medium education, rather than having to travel to Hafan y Môr and Caer Elen. It will be a great opportunity to transform education in one of the most deprived areas of the authority. 232 Increasing Welsh language provision is part of a national and local strategy and the establishment of a new Welsh medium school in Pembroke will contribute to this strategy. In a two stream setting, the fact that pupils are introduced to Welsh and English may make it difficult to completely immerse pupils in Welsh, especially at times when pupils interact outside the classroom. Two stream schools face the challenge of acting as two schools under one roof in terms of the Welsh medium and English medium linguistic categories, although they act as one school. There is a potential risk in such schools that pupils will drop out of Welsh medium education in order to continue their education in the English medium stream, thereby limiting their linguistic progression. There is currently concern about Welsh language standards at Golden Grove School following Estyn's report in 2018. The establishment of a new 3-11 Welsh medium school would allow increased use of Welsh on the school corridors and yard. The current situation of a two stream school tends to water down the use of the language and restricts teachers from implementing robust linguistic rules. There is strong support for the Welsh language in the Pembroke area and the establishment of a Welsh medium school will provide a focus for this support, as well as increasing the capacity of Welsh medium provision in the south of the County. The establishment of a Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will ensure a natural and increasing flow of pupils to Caer Elen School – the mother school for the pupils of the Pembroke area. The establishment of a new 3-11 Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will allow for the establishment of a central hub for Welsh language community activities similar to that of Ysgol Hafan y Môr in Tenby and Caer Elen School in Haverfordwest. This means key links with agencies such as the Urdd, Menter Iaith, Ioga Babi, Clwb Cwtsh, Welsh Education for Adults etc. • The recent outstanding growth of Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School is an example of the demand for Welsh medium education in the south of the county. I see the Pembrokeshire area as the next natural location to establish a 3-11 Welsh primary school. Caer Elen School and Ysgol Hafan y Môr are great examples of Welsh medium education growth in traditional non-Welsh medium areas. If a new Welsh medium 3-11 school were to be established in the Pembroke area this would result in a significant increase in parents transferring their children to Welsh medium education. Welsh medium education needs to be extended and developed in the south of the County and the Pembroke area is the next natural location. The challenges of implementing a mainstream school are obvious and establishing a 3-11 primary school will be a natural
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step and a great opportunity to transform education in one of the most deprived areas of the authority. Crucially, the proposal fits with local and national strategies for increasing the number of Welsh speakers aiming for a million Welsh speakers in Wales by 2050. 233 Welsh medium education needs to be extended and developed in the south of the County and the Pembroke area is the next natural location. The establishment of the school is key to increasing the number of Welsh speakers with the aim of a million speakers in Wales by 2050. The establishment of a new 3-11-year-old Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will create a central hub for Welsh language community activities such as the Urdd, Menter Iaith, Baby Yoga, Clwb Cwtsh, Welsh Education for Adults and so on 235 The proposal to establish a 3-11 Welsh medium School is a natural step towards improving and enriching the learning environment and also increasing the capacity of Welsh medium provision in the south of the county. Also, the opening of a 3-11 school in the Pembroke area will enable the natural flow of pupils to Caer Elen School. 239 Looking at it, it is clear that there is strong support for the Welsh language in Pembrokeshire, and establishing another Welsh medium school will be another step towards improving and enriching the learning environment in the county. In addition, it will increase the capacity of the Welsh medium provision in the county.
When looking at the significant amount of growth and demand for children’s Welsh medium education at Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School, it is natural to have a new Welsh school in this location to expand on the demand for Welsh language education. Ancillary to this, it will fit with the Welsh government's vision of having a million Welsh speakers by the year 2050. 240 Caer Elen School and Ysgol Hafan y Môr are great examples of Welsh medium education growth in traditional non-Welsh medium areas. If a new Welsh medium 3-11 school were to be established in the Pembroke area this would result in a significant increase in parents transferring their children to Welsh medium education. It is clear that Welsh medium education is increasingly required in the county. 241 1: Totally opposed to establishing Welsh Medium School and … consideration given to the sites proposed. 2: No demand in this deprived area. 3: We should aim to INTEGRATE NOT SEGREGATE 4: Excellent school at Gelli Aur/Golden Grove at present. My children and later grandchildren have thrived there and it provides an all round education & secure site. 5: Divisive & Elitist 6: CRAZY to consider sites proposed. Traffic nightmare there at present. I regularly drive there with grandchildren and we use the adjacent leisure centre. Necessitates vast alteration to roads/pavements and access. 7. Environmental consideration - require felling established trees. Understand Please that the South Pembrokeshire peninsula is 'Little England Beyond Wales'. We welcome "incomers" but not the elitist brigade who dictate and do not have a feel for this special area. Enhance the existing school which is in secure grounds and has a dedicate staff doing their utmost to promote ALL subjects - music, sport and well being. 242 The recent outstanding growth of Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School is an example of the demand for Welsh medium education in the south of the county. I see the Pembrokeshire area as the next natural location to establish a 3-11 Welsh primary school. There is currently concern about Welsh language standards at Golden Grove School following Estyn's report in 2018. The establishment of a new 55
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3-11 Welsh medium school would allow increased use of Welsh on the school corridors and yard. The current situation of a two stream school tends to water down the use of the language and restricts teachers from implementing robust linguistic rules. 243 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 244 Based on the statistics in the document the numbers do not indicate a viable school. The revenue costs would be high due to the staff costs, the pupil value would be very high. The capital costs of building a new school could be better spent in upgrading primary schools in Pembrokeshire.
1: Retain the present unit in Golden Grove. 2: Bus Pupils who wish to be in a welsh school, not a welsh unit to the new welsh school in Tenby. 245 There is strong support for the Welsh language in the Pembroke area. An opportunity to enhance and enrich the Welsh medium learning environment and also to increase the capacity of Welsh medium provision in the south of the County. The establishment of a 3-11 Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will ensure a natural flow of pupils to Caer Elen School. A close collaboration can already be seen between Golden Grove School (Welsh language stream) and Caer Elen School by seeing a number of children attending the Language Centre at Caer Elen School. Following Estyn's report in 2018, concern has arisen regarding Welsh language standards at Golden Grove School and therefore the establishment of a new Welsh medium school for 3-11 years old would allow for increased use of the Welsh language e.g. in the playground, canteen and corridors. The school is currently a two stream school with some teachers only able to communicate in one language - English. Over the recent years, the growth seen at Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School show the demand for Welsh medium education in the south of the county - The Pembroke area must be the next natural location to establish a 3- 11 Welsh primary school. Caer Elen School is fortunate in providing a Language Centre in order to provide courses for latecomers serving all of the primary schools in the catchments area of Caer Elen School including Golden Grove School. The opening of a 3-11 Welsh medium primary School in Pembrokeshire must help increase the percentage of pupils able to speak Welsh. As a result this will contribute positively to the Government's target of a million speakers by 2050. 246 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 247 The proposal to establish a 3-11 Welsh medium School is a natural step towards improving and enriching the learning environment and also increasing the capacity of Welsh medium provision in the south of the county. I see the establishment of this new school as a golden opportunity to further develop and promote the Welsh language in our county and in particular to create Welsh speakers who will contribute to realising the government's target of reaching a million speakers by 2050. When establishing a Welsh medium school rather
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than the existing mainstream school, it will be possible to raise the standards of Welsh across the school and to give the Welsh language the status it deserves, the Welsh language at the heart of activity and also the full support of staff and parents. 248 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 250 My child deserves to be educated in a state of the art school. 251 The evidence shows that there are better standards in the Welsh medium schools and currently the Welsh language strand at Golden Grove is failing. We need to look at and follow the example of Gelli Aur and Hafan. 252 You only have to look around the county to see that new Welsh primaries are succeeding, the education currently on offer in almost all Pembroke schools is below standard. We need this to improve the Welsh language and standards in the county. 253 It would be criminal to waste the opportunity for such a substancial investment in the authority. As a county we should embrace and be proud of the development of Welsh education for our children. Unfortunately, ysgol Gelli Aur are currently unable to offer an adequate Welsh education therefore this investment is imperative.
254 Will strengthen the aim for 1 million Welsh speakers in Wales and provide a first class education for pupils in Pembrokeshire who wish to learn through the medium of Welsh.
None 257 I feel this provision is needed now that there is a secondary provision in the Haverfordwest area which is encouraging parents to consider a Welsh primary education for their children.
I can not provide an alternative as the Welsh medium primary provision in Haverfordwest is already over subscribed and has a waiting list! 258 I would love to see improvement and participation in speaking Welsh. However this should be done equally across the whole community in the Pembroke area. This scheme will only weaken the education of Welsh in the majority of schools in the area. Efforts and resources should be put into raising standards in all subjects, including Welsh, in all schools. Huge efforts have been made by staff to improve the use of Welsh in schools and I feel this proposal will setback improvements made. Also, because parents make a positive choice for a Welsh medium education it causes a form of cultural apartheid where Welsh medium education is seen as somehow superior to a mixed language based education. Possibly because Welsh medium schools in the past have been better resourced and possibly because parents are more involved. I really think this scheme will be detrimental to education in this area. Why cannot every school have a Welsh "stream"?
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A Welsh "stream" in every school. 259 I do not consider that significant demand exists to change the current dual stream model; this proposal represents a waste of tax payers money. I appreciate that the capital spend is via grant, but the proposal will increase the Educational spend in respect of the Revenue Budget. This proposal would not be under consideration if grant funding was not available, which in itself undermines the proposal. Every Council meeting references a lack of central funding in the context of a strain on local services and yet nobody appears to want to challenge the fact that the WAG is spending tax payers funds on non essential capital projects at a time of austerity. The proposal is does nothing to undermine the perception that we are creating a two tier system in Pembrokeshire particularly in the Secondary sector. Indeed it would appear that a key driver for many seeking Welsh Medium Education is a desire to opt out of the English Secondary stream. The consultation document makes a number of positive assumptions which cannot be validated, the argument that new housing developments could result in a shortage of educational spaces does not appear to be backed up by the figures provided? The Director of Education is on record as stating that the proposal is not linked to the recent Estyn inspection at Ysgol Gelli Aur, and yet the Authority has taken every opportunity, including via Social Media posts/responses to reference this aspect as an influencer. The majority of pupils are from English speaking homes and it is logical to expect that English will continue to be the dominant language outside of the school environment. I am very dissapointed to note that a number of local councillors have already stated that they are in favour of the proposal and have not made themselves available to discuss the issues; indeed Councillors have avoided all Governing Body Meetings; I cannot see how this behaviour makes the consultation process fair and equitable. The impact on second language Welsh provision which is a key strength within the Dual Medium Model is understated and my view is that if you wish to enhance the Welsh language you do so by supporting/targeting the majority as opposed to the minority. It is disappointing to note that nursery provision is included in the proposal, when attempts to establish such an arrangement within Gelli Aur Golden Grove has not been supported. The current teaching staff within the Welsh Stream rely heavily on the support and experience of their English stream colleagues; this support will be lost. Suggestions that the schools will work together and co-operate especially in aspects that benefit from a higher pupil role, such as drama/sport etc is unlikely to materialise, as experience in Tenby suggests otherwise given that the schools consider themselves to be in competition for pupils. Tenby and Pembroke are different in terms of the local demographic and given the number of English Medium Schools in Pembroke Pembroke Dock, I consider it likely that the proposal could lead to schools closing in the future. I do not consider that Pembroke needs another new build and there is a detrimental environmental impact on the proposed site. The close proximity to a secondary site and the impact of traffic congestion and air quality is likely to be negative.
I consider that the WESP criteria could have been better served by considering enhancement to the provision available in other areas; Milford Haven for example. Demand appears to be demonstrated in that and other areas as evidenced by the number of pupils attending
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Caer Elin. Additional services such as pre -school/nursery provision could and should be provided at Gelli aur Golden Grove, which would further enhance the current offering. 260 I feel existing schools are currently underfunded and are having to cutback in many areas. Before expanding school services and building new schools, the current establishments should be receiving more funding and help to maintain/raise standards. I fear expanding welsh medium schools will lead to a two tier education system as they will attract a ‘certain type of family’.
Fund existing schools adequately. This should include providing money to enable these schools to employ additional fluent welsh speaking teachers and ensure effective teaching of the language to all children and not just a select few. 261 This is really not needed, you have been closing schools and cutting funding in the school that are left. There is no need for a Welsh only school, you need to use this money to put more funding into the schools we have.
You have been sending teachers away for whole terms to become better at teaching Welsh, but when they return they are not freed up to use their new talents. The money you want to spend on a new school should be used to fund more teachers to teach Welsh in the current schools. 262 I am proud to live in a country that considers it important to nurture a distinct character and culture in a world of standardisation 264 Ysgol Gelli Aur school caters for the need of Welsh medium education within that area. A new school would be waste of money, that money should be used to build another school in an area which does not have any provisions for the language. 265 I live in Tenby and can only, therefore, comment on the 3-11 Welsh Medium School, Hafan Y Mor, which has been an outstanding success. 266 Financially, I don't think this would be a viable option, as resources would be spread more thinly to to the detriment of English Medium schools.
As a former Teaching Assistant involved with the teaching of incidental Welsh, I feel that monies could be better spent on employing more Welsh speaking teachers at Primary level so that more children would have the opportunity to learn Welsh and to understand more about Welsh culture. 267 Given the apparent desirability of a new 3-11 Welsh Medium school to serve Pembroke and Pembroke Dock, my comments relate specifically to the question of the possible location for such a school. The proposed site is the Old Bush Farm. But no actual examination is made of the suitability of this site – and no site is ever without some down side. Other sites considered are rejected for various reasons (mostly lack of space). No indication is actually given of the amount of space required, which makes it impossible to assess the impact on the immediate area or on the current use of the Old Bush Farm – which is apparently empty for all the consideration it is given. The Farm is currently used by Green Links CIC, a social enterprise engaged in the support of young people who benefit from an alternative outdoor 59
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education. This includes practical training in various vocational skills, one to one provision for non- attenders, support for those with behavioural issues and accredited training for pupils from Henry Tudor School. If the land available were to be substantially reduced, the Initiative may cease to be viable, thus requiring the Council to find alternative means to educate these children in accordance with their legal obligations. Other facilities exist on the site, but my interest is in Cleddau Reach Archers, who occupy a small area which has been developed as an archery range, with storage facilities. This Archery Club (which is affiliated to the National body of ArcheryGB), whilst an independent organisation, does work with Green Links to provide an experience for their students, as well as working with the Leisure Centre for public events and specific groups. Recent grant money has been spent to improve safety and to develop facilities for disabled archers, including wheel-chair friendly shooting stance and dedicated disabled parking and access. Further improvements are planned, but will have to be held in abeyance pending clarification of these plans. If the proposal includes land currently used by Cleddau Reach Archers, then I request assurance that Pembrokeshire County Council will take full responsibility for creating and funding a new outdoor shooting range in a mutually acceptable location.
268 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 269 It will be advantageous for pupils in the Pembroke area to establish a Welsh medium school in the area. Over the past 18 months the overwhelming success of the primary sector at Caer Elen School demonstrates the impact that establishing a Welsh medium school in an area can have on the demand for Welsh medium education. I am confident that the establishment of a Welsh medium school will have a similar impact in the Pembroke area. 270 I support the proposal as I think it will be a huge advantage for our future kids. 272 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 273 It has long been recognised that the best way to learn a language is to be fully immersed in that language. When Gelli Aur- Golden Grove was established the then director of education stated that the school would be “fully bilingual in the widest context”. Sadly, it has never been that. The school has never had a bilingual headteacher. Whenever there are non Welsh speaking personnel it is natural to turn to the common language, i.e. English. Two members of staff speaking Welsh together would not continue in Welsh if a third, non Welsh speaking member, were to join them. This in turn provides a subliminal message that shows English to be a premium language that is of more importance than Welsh. In a Welsh medium school the day to day language of the school is Welsh. The Assemblies, the wall displays, the interaction between members of staff, the language of the playground etc, etc. Children quickly understand that they can live their lives through Welsh without the need to revert to English throughout the school day. Many fully Welsh medium schools are now established in Wales and these show that the standard of education is just as high as their English medium counterparts. Gelli Aur will still
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have enough members of staff that speak Welsh to satisfy the requirements of their second language Welsh needs. It would be a travesty and a huge wasted opportunity to deny the children of Pembroke a Welsh medium school when our neighbouring towns of Tenby and Haverfordwest have them. 274 Welsh is a language that everywhere else in wales is thriving. In Pembrokeshire it is struggling, certainly below the Landsker line. Whilst there is a stream of welsh in golden grove there is no welsh school. Tenby have been a separate welsh school in recent years having progressed from a stream. The take up on pupils has increased. I firmly believe if you have a welsh school children will Join. That in turn will promote the use of the welsh language and drive Pembrokeshire to utilise the same In years to come. 275 This proposal appears to be a positive development for Welsh-medium education provision in Pembroke and the surrounding area. Due to the need to find the "common denominator", I feel that it will never be possible in a dual-medium school for Welsh to be used by pupils as their go-to language for communicating outside the classroom, and this takes away a crucial opportunity for pupils to practice and develop conversational skills, especially given that in an area such as Pembroke and Pembroke Dock many will have English-speaking parents and therefore will not have such opportunities at home. A stand-alone Welsh medium school such as that proposed would be able to foster an environment where it becomes natural for pupils to speak with each other and with staff in Welsh both inside and out of the classroom. This would help ensure that when the time comes to move onto secondary school, Pembroke-area pupils who receive a Welsh-medium education are not disadvantaged compared with others such as those from the Tenby or Haverfordwest areas who attended Hafan y Mor, or the primary section of Caer Elen. The proposal also has potential to improve the English-medium provision in the area. As an English medium school, I believe the staff at Gelli Aur would have a clearer focus on the needs of its remaining pupils, the school would be able to foster closer links with Ysgol Harri Tudur as the destination for all its Year 6 leavers, and the surplus capacity at the current site will potentially allow for classes to occupy the more modern and better equipped parts of the building. The opportunity to make effective use of a WG grant, with none of the capital cost of achieving a better learning environment for Pembroke’s young people coming from the Council's budget, must not be lost, and that is why I am supporting this proposal. 276 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 277 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 278 I fully support it- the way that Golden Grove has responded to the proposal has been disgraceful. They have bullied our children into saying they disagree with the new welsh school. 279 I believe the funding should go to existing schools which are already on their knees due to cuts.
Spend the money on existing schools and facilities 61
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280 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 282 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 283 Use money on existing provision
Too busy near ysgol harri Tudor as it is parking, exiting and entering is a nightmare as it is! 284 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 285 While there may be a desire among a section of parents for such a school, I don't believe a Welsh-medium school would best serve the needs of the broader community of this area either now or in the foreseeable future.
Provide English medium teaching with strong Welsh learning support and Welsh medium resources available within the curriculum. 286 Use the money improving existing schools in the area 287 I am supportive of the Cymraeg 2050: a million Welsh speakers’ strategy and acknowledge that this proposal is acknowledging the demand for Welsh medium education in Pembrokeshire. My comments/queries are as follows: There is a lack of clarity of the impact on the welsh language and cultural development of pupils and educators who would remain in the proposed English medium setting. What is the commitment and support for continued and developmental Welsh training for staff who are teaching in the English Streams at the school? Is there a model in Wales which demonstrates that changing the educational environment from bi-lingual to English medium allows for better/improved development of the Welsh language and culture of pupils and educators in the English medium educational environment? 289 Concentrate on the schools you have and make Pembrokeshire attractive to those who do nit speak welsh! Doctors and other professionals do nit want to locate here because of the emphasis on welsh!!!
You have already made up yr mind so alternativs wont matter! 290 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 291 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available)
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292 I feel there is already a more than adequate welsh medium provision provided in the Pembroke area by Ysgol Gelli Aur/Golden Grove school. It is a waste of tax payers money that would be better spent elsewhere.
Consider locating to an area that does not have welsh medium provision , such as Milford Haven. 293 My three children are or have been educated via welsh medium primary school. They’ve all benefited from the bilingual learning and ethos of Welsh medium schools. I prefer a welsh medium school to else unit as the units are isolated within the larger English schools, naturally. 294 Whilst I support the promotion of the Welsh Language in our schools, I would prefer to see greater funding to all schools to ensure that there is consistency in the standards of Welsh taught in all primary schools across the cluster. I appreciate that there is a demand to be taught solely through the medium of Welsh and this demand is currently being met by the Welsh medium provision in Gelli Aur. If needs be, 21st Century funding could be used to enhance the existing provision at Gelli Aur which will be more cost effective, have less environment impact and is more inclusive way of delivering Welsh Medium Education.
21st Century funding could be used to enhance the existing provision at Gelli Aur which will be more cost effective, have less environment impact and is more inclusive way of delivering Welsh Medium Education as the Welsh and English streams are better able to share best practise. 296 Need a welsh school so welsh is taught 100% of the time and children aren’t at a disadvantage when they arrive at Preselli
None. Is a good idea. 297 First language world-wide is English. 298 I think your funding would be better placed in the schools you already have in the county
Spend the money you have put aside for this on existing school sites 299 Welsh is not the main language spoken in Pembrokeshire. Concentrate on teaching subjects that actually matter to children. 300 It seems totally unnecessary when there is already a perfectly good and undersubscribed welsh stream in golden grove.
Put the money into golden grove. Allow them to develop their welsh stream and don’t waste the money on bricks and mortar!! 304 Welsh medium education needs to be extended and developed in the south of the County and establishing a 3-11 primary school will be a natural step and a great opportunity to transform education in one of the most deprived areas of the authority. Offering this option will only widen and raise awareness of the people of the area of Welsh medium education which will consequently be totally positive. The 63
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proposal fits with local and national strategies for increasing the number of Welsh speakers aiming for a million Welsh speakers in Wales by 2050. The recent outstanding growth of Hafan y Môr School and Caer Elen School is an example of the demand for Welsh medium education. The establishment of a Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area will ensure a natural and increasing flow of pupils to Caer Elen School. 305 Not needed provision is good enough already...what's needed is a dedicated special education needs school ! Too many kids are being left by the wayside with no help whatsoever!
Dedicated special education needs school in pembroke 306 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 307 I think it’s an excellent idea and should of being done years ago. 308 If Cardiff, the Welsh assembly are spending money in Pembrokeshire it should be upgrading and keeping Withybush hospital open. Save lives and put health first as we have enough schools in Pembrokeshire that can be upgraded if necessary. Invest the money back into the schools in the catchment area of the new school. That way many more pupils would benefit from the money available without having to travel to a new school. This would also ease the strain on the environment with less travel, pupils can continue to walk to school rather than parents driving them and they will be taught with their friends in their own community rather than being transported in from other areas as was the case with Preseli and Caer Elen, the new school in Haverfordwest. I know of pupils being taken out of their primary schools and moved to Caer Ellen because parents do not want their children in their local secondary schools due to the poor behaviour with no consideration of the welsh language at all. Their first thoughts are to protect their children. These parents are not thinking about education in welsh but putting their children in a safer and calmer environment of a new school where problems appear to be smaller. The cost will just not warrant the return. Soon Pembrokeshire will be without a quality hospital and people will have to travel many miles for health care. Is spending the money the right choice for Pembrokeshire? So many more would benefit if the money was spent more wisely!
Invest the money in the local schools. 310 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 312 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 313 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 64
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(Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 314 As a primary school teacher myself I cannot understand what benefit this will have. Gelli Aur Golden Grove is a bilingual school with a perfectly working Welsh unit, therefore dual stream with 4 Welsh classes. Where children learn solely through the medium of WELSH!! There is no need at all for this unit to be closed in order for a new school to be built 5 minutes down the road. My son is in the Welsh stream at this school and has a fantastic education, he’s thriving, as well as being happy and feeling safe in his learning environment. If the government are adamant on spending money to improve Welsh provisions I’m all for that, but do it by improving the provisions that are already there. It’s a complete waste of money to close units that are working perfectly! Not to mention the fact that the level of second language Welsh at Gelli Aur is at a high standard due to the fact it works alongside first language Welsh. I attended Grove myself and the Welsh classes were a huge part of our school family and still are. It’s such a shame to think that this school could become only English stream when it’s running perfectly as it is!
Provide more money supporting current schools with welsh provision! 315 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 316 There already Is provision in the Pembroke area for Welsh medium education
Resource the schools we already have! So many schools in special measures .. money should be spent on resourcing them. 317 If you have money going spare then properly fund our existing schools please. Why on earth you think we need another school is beyond me.
Lamphey School could do with some updating, as I’m sure many other schools could so focus on making our existing schools into a nice environment for staff and our children. Our Welsh school is doing just fine. Why fix something that isn’t broken? 318 I think that any money should be spent on maintaining and/or improving Gelli Aur who currently provide Welsh medium provision. I feel that removing this aspect of provision from Gelli Aur would have a detrimental effect on pupil numbers there. I do not feel that there are sufficient numbers of people who would like to have their children taught in the medium of Welsh in the Pembroke/Pembroke Dock areas to sustain pupil numbers in a new build school and to justify this expense. Also where would these pupils go when they finish their Welsh medium education at the end of Year 6? Will there soon be a Welsh secondary school proposed too?
See above. 319 Need to concentrate on existing school rather that waste money on more 65
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As above 320 The Welsh language is a vital part of life in the county. It needs to be supported and encouraged. 321 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Comments redacted for the purposes of this document – respondent does not want their comments to be made publically available) 322 It would be nice to have a separate Welsh school in Pembroke. 323 I feel its not necessary whilst you have a bilingual school not too far away.
Geli Aur already provide Welsh as its a bilingual school. 324 My sons went to Golden Manor Grove and Bro Myrddin. One went to Aberystwyth, the other Cardiff. My eldest son lives in Bodelwyan and is a senior architect with a Scandinavian company. My other is a data manager for Welsh Water and lives in Pontreodre. As you can see my spelling is not very good but my son's enjoyed other education and speaks Welsh still. 325 The infrastructure around the area you are proposing will not support a new school, traffic is bad enough at the moment. You should concentrate on improving the schools already built. There isn't enough money to make repairs to the brand new comprehensive school less than two years old. Concentrate on what we already have.
Concentrate on what is already here 326 1). Consultation documents should only include the pros and cons relating to the subject that is under discussion. With that information, the reader can make an informed decision. This document includes in Section 5 the proposal as set out by Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC). Because of this approach I believe it is a 'done deal' and any comments against the proposal would fall on deaf ears. 2). Human nature being what it is, the thought of children being taught in a brand new building full of high tech teaching aids would to most parents seem an attractive offer. Education provision should be the same for all pupils, but this scenario, if accepted would see some 100 pupils being taught in a brand new facility leaving 200 pupils in a school which has been graded as 'C' (poor) for both condition and suitability. See page 13 Section 3.6 Buildings / Accommodation. NOT A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. 3). It states in the document that the set up of Hafan y Mor in Tenby has been a success, however anyone having a knowledge of the local area would certainly know that communities of Tenby and Pembroke are totally different, so what might work in one area may not work in another. 4). Key targets have been set up Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) for an increase in the number of children able to speak and write in Welsh. To ensure that the Council meet those targets they are offering access to a 100% capital grant of £5.9 million pounds. The proposal set out in section 5 clearly states that this 'should not be lost'. This statement gives the reader a very biased view of what may or may not happen. 5). It states in the document Page 40 - Section Impact on Health and Wellbeing that the 'proposed school site is located within the town of Pembroke'. This statement 66
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is not entirely true, it is within the vicinity of the town but not within the town itself. Incorrect facts could lead the reader into making a decision that is not accurate. There is also a suggestion that pupils who walk to Golden Grove could very well walk to the new school however the new proposed school site is some way from Golden Grove and as a result walking to the new school may not be a viable option. This would mean an increase in vehicular traffic into an already busy route between Pembroke and Pembroke Dock and beyond. Carbon footprint!!! 6). If pupils do walk from the Pembroke area then they would have to cross a very busy road which has only two controlled crossings, one at Mill Bridge and the second one at the Garage on the Green. The safety of pupils MUST be paramount. 7). If 100 pupils decide to transfer to the new school, that could well have an impact on the Golden Grove forming sports team or a choir which I am sure you will agree that competing against other schools is a very important aspect of school life. 8). The document puts a great store into the fact that the Local Development Plan (LDP) could yield some 500 housing units over a five year period. This according to the document would yield approximately 75 pupils spread over an area from Cosheston to the Angle peninsula. However, there is no guarantee and certainly no evidence that parents of those 75 children would want their children to be educated in the Welsh medium school, so this is a somewhat misleading claim. 9). If 100 pupils leave Golden Grove then there is a possibility of staff facing redundancies, while staff transferring to the new school would not face this threat. Is that fair? 10). Section 4.1 Estyn Inspection - found areas that were 'adequate and needs improvement'. Section 4.2 lists areas were the school has made progress following the inspection. The last sentence in 4.3 states that 'Gelli Aur is currently in the AMBER category’ however on talking to the relevant people at the school it has now been upgraded to the YELLOW category if this is the case then it strengthens the case to remain as is. 11). I would imagine that other schools facing potential pupil transfer would have similar concerns so how can you demonstrate to staff, governors, pupils and parents that the consultation process will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner?
The consultation document states Section 6 – Alternative options considered – that alternative options were put forward and discussed but all of them have been discontinued, discontinued before you have received any feed-back from the school or parents. How can this be viewed as an honest and transparent consultation process. 1. Maintain the status quo – With help and support, increase the standard of Welsh provision to such an extent that parents may well send their children to the Welsh section of the school. There is also ample space at the school, 2019 – 87% dropping down to 76% by 2024. Following the Estyn report, standards have improved and with sufficient investment, both in buildings and Welsh teaching. Golden Grove could become the leading school for dual education but with the Welsh provision meeting the needs of the WAG. 2. Extend the refurbish the Welsh facility at Ysgol Gelli Aur – If the necessary support and monetary investment were put into the Welsh facility, it may well attract more parents into having their child taught in the medium of Welsh thus going some way to meeting the requirements of WAG. Following the Estyn report standards have improved and with an improvement in standard could very well attract more children being taught through the medium of Welsh. 3. In the south of the County, there are a number of schools that have been closed down and are now standing empty. PCC should be working hard to off load these
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buildings before they deteriorate and become worthless. East End school in Pembroke is a perfect example which has been standing empty for a very long period of time. The money accrued from the sale of schools could be reinvested to improve the buildings in existing schools e.g. Golden Grove 327 Preamble: I am a retired xxxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxx and I have lived and worked professionally in Pembroke and Pembroke Dock since xxxx. My Wife was born and raised at Pembroke Dock near our present address and is a qualified Teacher at Secondary Level and has worked on supply at Primary level in Pembroke and Pembroke Dock. Our 4 children were educated locally; the older two at Golden Manor and Grove Junior School in Pembroke and the younger two at Pembroke Dock and at Pembroke Comprehensive. They have all gone on to responsible professional careers. I was a Parent Governor at Grove School and later at Pembroke Dock County Primary and Chair of Governors of the Pembroke Family of Primary Schools and subsequently of Pembroke Comprehensive. As a family we have been more than pleased with the education all the children have received locally. COMMENTS on the Proposal: 1. Statistics for the Project. The Consultation appears to be based on the Return of 60 parties to the initial Notice of whom only 36% are recorded as being in favour. This is consistent in my view with the Census Return of 2011 when 73% of Pembrokeshire residents admitted to no knowledge of the Welsh language. Census figures show a total 122,439 residents in the County: Pembroke's 3 Wards plus Monkton had 7566 residents: Pembroke Dock including Pennar had 9753.Pembroke and Pembroke Dock which also include Monkton and Pennar are also in "Little England 't and in my experience of the last 50 years are not known for the speaking of Welsh in the family context. 1. My experience over 50 years residence as a professional lawyer dealing with inter alia Family work in a deprived areas like Pembroke Dock and Monkton does not persuade me that the majority of residents are Welsh speaking in the home and therefore able to help their children with conversation. 3. The Estyn Report on Golden Grove School into which the Consultation goes in detail (Page 15). The comments of the Inspectors appear to be ignoring the "Anglicised" nature of the area and the point in 2 above of the lack of spoken Welsh in the home. It will hardly be surprising that in the school playground the pupils will converse with their fellow pupils in English. tt is also noteworthy that there have been improvements in Golden Grove so far as the Estyn Report is concerned since the Inspection ( Page 16 of the Consultation). 4. 1. The Consultation refers to the "Ethos of Golden Grove on pages 15/16 but we as grandparents have been very pleased that two of our local grandchildren were able to attend the School four years ago and that excellent atmosphere including the "Ethos" that we observed since seems to be unchanged during our continuing contacts and visits. This would be consistent with our knowledge and experience of the Head teacher and all the Staff. 5. Proposed Catchment areas referred to in the Consultation ought to include Pembroke Dock, Pennar, Lamphey, and Cosheston as well as Penrhyn the new School in Hundleton. 6. The comparison drawn frequently to the new Tenby School is not relevant with due respect as Tenby is a smaller area and has fewer residents most of the year in school time. According to the 2011 Census, 4596 residents. It also does not have a "deprived " connotation either like Pembroke Dock and Monkton. 7. Potential Sites for a New School (Section 5.2 page 21) are predominantly located on the Land at Bush which local people will confirm has existing Traffic
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PROBLEMS at School times with a Leisure centre and only two entrances as well as the Bush House Residential Home on the East side. Primary Children walking to such a site from Pembroke would be able to mix with Secondary' PUPILS.
Alternative proposals should include the Education Authority allocating greater resources to Golden Grove, 50 years old to date, including the funding of an extra Welsh Teacher. In my view this would help to continue the excellent reputation which the Headteacher and Staff presently enjoy in the locality. The Authority should also consider investigating the provision of Welsh Primary schooling in the Milford and/or Neyland area which are closer to the new Welsh Schools at Haverfordwest.
(Comments redacted for the purposes of this document - potentially sensitive personal information) L1 Good afternoon Without getting involved in the politics of the need for a new Welsh Medium School.
Any School based on the Glan-y- Mor would have access to a unique learning environment . The farm comprises 45 acres of land and associated farm building with a full range of animals . The farm also has welding/blacksmithing/construction/archery/garden and woodworking areas . The woodlands adjacent amount to over 30 acres with access to the shoreline . Green Links provides all tutors to help youngsters access and learn from all of these varied areas of interest . Any new school would help with infrastructure maintenance over the long term which would sustain and improve the Glan-y-Mor site into the future Any new school during the build phase should look at enhancing the woodland paths and garden area as a must to make the most of these outdoor spaces . Any new school build should incorporate carbon neutral energy ( solar and bio-mass 0 , using the Glan-y-Mor site to its full potential in partnership with existing users
if you want me to expand on these let me know - or come and visit and we can discuss
thanks L2 I was told I could contact you about my concerns about the proposed location of the possible new welsh medium primary school in the Pembroke area.
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My daughter currently attends Ysgol Gelli Aur and is learning in Welsh. While I think these changes are unnecessary and I would prefer her to remain where she is, I'm not 100% against the new school.
However I am 100% against the location. I feel that it is totally unsuitable for many reasons. Here are some of them:
- my main opposition to it is the close proximity to Ysgol Harri Tudur, especially the Greenlinks alternative curriculum provision. I work with young people who access this provision and while professionally I support them wholeheartedly as a parent, I don't think its appropriate for primary age children to intentionally be located so close to their school provision. I feel that during playtime and any out door time during the primary school day, the temptation of hanging around outside the fencing of the school will be too much for the pupils of the Greenlinks provision to resist and the primary pupils would be vulnerable to a lot of inappropriate behaviour eg smoking and bad language. I am aware that there are plans for some of the alternative curriculum provision to be moved to the old Pembroke School science block but as far as I can see this provision will be additional to the Greenlinks provision and not instead of it.
- the other issues with location stem from traffic issues and the congestion along with the fact that a lot of the children who currently walk to and from school everyday will no longer be able to do so.
I hope the issue around the proximity to Greenlinks will be taken seriously as I believe this could cause problems if and when the new school is built.
P1 Consultation with pupils on a new Welsh Medium Primary School in the Pembroke area for ages 3-11
11th December 2019
Rose Davis (Senior Youth Worker, Children and Young People’s Rights Office) and Liz Griffiths (Senior Youth Worker, Community Youth Team) visited Golden Grove School / Ysgol Gelli Aur to carry out a consultation with pupils. We met with 2 groups of pupils: the Welsh stream and the English stream. Results of the consultation were as follows:
Welsh Stream consultation:
10 pupils from Year 2-6 took part
Support the proposal - 10
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Do not support the proposal – 0
Do not feel strongly one way or the other - 0
Pupil comments:
Pupils have prepared for this session with a class council discussion, so they are representing the views of themselves and their classmates. Sometimes at break time the English speaking children say that we are different. We will have more room at new school. It’s a good idea because we know that Welsh Government want 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050 Everyone is happy with the proposal English stream consultation
13 pupils from Year 3-6 took part in the consultation
Support the proposal - 0
Do not support the proposal - 11
Do not feel strongly one way or the other - 2
Pupil comments:
Pupils have prepared for this session with a class council discussion, so they are representing the views of themselves and their classmates. We’ll lose our Welsh friends If siblings are in different streams they’ll be split up (some families currently have siblings in different streams) There is nothing wrong with how it is so we don’t need another school Welsh pupils help us if we are stuck on Welsh words, so this helps us to learn Welsh
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Not a good idea because if they all go we’ll have loads of empty classes and they might knock down some of our school All the money that goes to building a new school could go to people who really need it e.g. building a new hospital Having Welsh pupils around makes it less daunting for us to learn a new language – it teaches us more about the Welsh language The environment – the new school could be built on top of an animal’s habitat The proposal is not fair – Welsh pupils will be getting a new school and we won’t Splitting up friends The Council should upgrade the current school for English & Welsh speakers so all pupils get better facilities instead It is wasting money to build a new school – build on to the current school We should have a timetable change to have an hour play every day Some Welsh speakers might move to English school so they can stay here instead of going to the new Welsh school Some pupils not in this group (in choir) feel that there should be a new school to help improve Welsh speaking in the area Someone in class council said that they should have a new Welsh school as English and Welsh sports teams don’t get along Someone in class said yes to new school – we could use their classrooms as dedicated art room and IT room etc. The new school is a bit of a waste of money. Welsh stream pupils are fine here. We had a class discussion and some said they want a new school as there will be more room in assembly Who would the house captains be? We will lose most members of boys’ football team as most of them are Welsh speakers Welsh pupils have already settled into school so why move them Some English speakers might want to move to the new school because it’s new The building works and the new school could affect the traffic P2 Consultation with pupils on a new Welsh Medium Primary School in the Pembroke area for ages 3-11
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Ref. Comments
08 January 2020
Comments captured from meeting with the Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School, School Council on the 3-11 Welsh Medium School proposal
1. Background. On Wednesday 8 January 2020 the Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School School Council were briefed on the proposal to build a 3-11 Welsh Medium School within the Pembroke Area. The brief was provided by the Headteacher, Mrs Fiona Kite, and attended by the School Business Manager, Nick Makin. Twenty seven members of the council were present, with boy and girl representation across all school years. Mrs Kite and pupils shared the reading aloud of the paper written by Kate Evan Hughes for the consideration of School Councils.
2. Comments and Observations. The following comments and observations were made by members of the School Council;
a. The potential impact on the pupils at YHT by the proposed new school was raised as a concern, more building, more traffic, when there have been many years of construction and disruption on our site.
b. Whether there was a suitable target pupil population to meet the capacity of the school was questioned. Were there enough children in the area needing/wanting a Welsh Medium Education.
c. The logic to change the current configuration of Golden Grove was questioned. Why?
d. There was a general concern over the negative impact of the proposed new school on existing site infrastructure, resources, traffic management and access of emergency services, environmental well-being and noise pollution (especially with the on-campus Nursing Home) and future access by YHT pupils on outdoor sporting facilities.
e. There was widespread agreement that the funds identified to build the school could be better spent being re-invested in current schools within the local area, enhancing both facilities, enabling bilingualism and training staff (especially Welsh speaking) on Welsh language programmes.
f. The idea of bi-lingual integrated Welsh/English education provision, across Primary and Secondary schools, was highly supported.
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g. It was suggested that if the Welsh medium school in the Pembroke area is to be built the funding would be better spent refurbishing/recycling the school at St Mary’s or at another site not identified in the proposal.
h. There was some support for the proposal in that it would enrich the provision of the Welsh language within the local area.
i. The School Council do not believe learning through the medium of Welsh is the only way to have a good quality education.
3. Voting. The following votes were recorded (from 27 School Council members);
a. In support of the proposal – 2 (7%).
b. Not in support of the proposal – 24 (89%).
c. No firm view – 1 (4%). NS MAKIN School Business Manager
P3 Consultation with pupils on a new Welsh Medium Primary School in the Pembroke area for ages 3-11
Pennar School
Number of pupils in group: 7 KS2 School councillors
Questions:
Proposal to build a new Welsh medium primary school in the Pembroke area
I do not feel strongly one way or the other 4 I support the proposal ……… 74
Ref. Comments
I do not support the proposal 3
Pupil Comments:
It’s a good idea because more children would get to learn Welsh but a bad idea because children may struggle in a whole Welsh school.
All children felt that it was wrong that all the money from WG would be spent on a new school.
Why can’t they keep the Welsh speaking children in Grove and save money by not building the new school?
Would it mean there was less money for us?
The government aren’t able to help parents speak Welsh and they then wouldn’t be able to support their children. P4 Consultation with pupils on a new Welsh Medium Primary School in the Pembroke area for ages 3-11
Lamphey School
Number of pupils in group -12 Yr 6 pupils – Mixed ability
Questions:
Proposal to build a new Welsh medium primary school in the Pembroke area
75
Ref. Comments
I do not feel strongly one way or the other 5 I support the proposal 5 I do not support the proposal 2
Pupil Comments:
‘. – It’s not fair that another new school is being built and we are still being taught in a cabin outside on the yard.’
‘The new school would help people speak Welsh’
‘There is an advantage as children could learn more Welsh so if there was another school it would be quiet good. However it will impact on other schools as children might want to move.’
‘I think it is a good idea however, if children moved to this school from Lamphey our school could get much smaller and this would be very sad.’
I think it is a bad thing as it makes it unfair on the other schools. We don’t really need it as we already have a Welsh school in Tenby and Grove. We are already learning Welsh in class at the moment ‘ ‘I think it is a good and a bad thing because it will take children away from their current school and lower their numbers. The good thing is that some people will learn more welsh.’ P5 Consultation with pupils on a new Welsh Medium Primary School in the Pembroke area for ages 3-11
Pembroke Dock Community School
Number of pupils in group: 22 / 30 / 24 Questions:
Proposal to build a new Welsh medium primary school in the Pembroke area
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Ref. Comments
I do not feel strongly one way or the other 5 10 9 I support the proposal 3 10 9 I do not support the proposal 14 10 6
22 30 24
Pupil Comments:
“I don’t like the idea of a new Welsh school because some children in the English stream are friends with children in the Welsh stream and they will lose their friends if the new school is built”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea because I am friends with children in Grove who are in the English stream and they would miss their friends in the Welsh stream”
“I’m not sure I like the idea of a Welsh school because my mum might want me to go to that school but I don’t want to leave my current school”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea because children might have to leave their schools and there are already Welsh schools in Tenby and Haverfordwest”
“The new school would help the Government to reach their target”
“People who go to the new school would have their own school – just for Welsh”
“The new school will take up a lot of space in Pembroke”
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“I don’t think it’s a good idea because people don’t speak welsh”
“I think it’s a good idea because you can learn a new language”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea because English speakers might not know what the welsh people are saying”
“I think it a good idea because it gives you an opportunity to learn welsh”
“I think it’s a good idea because you can understand welsh speakers” P6 Consultation with pupils on a new Welsh Medium Primary School in the Pembroke area for ages 3-11
Ysgol Hafan Y Môr
Number of pupils in the group: 28 (Year 5 and 6)
Questions:
- Where will the new building be?
- When will the new school open?
Proposal to build a new Welsh medium primary school in the Pembroke area
I do not feel strongly either way: 1 I support the proposal: 25 I do not support the proposal: 2 Pupil Comments:
- Difficult to find a locaton for building the new school. 78
Ref. Comments
- Don't know enough about the school. - Good thing because pupils are able to focus on one language only. - A good thing because the language of Wales is Welsh and so it is important that there are opportunities to talk with children and other people in the Welsh language, e.g. when walking down the street. - The new school will help more people to speak Welsh. - More opportunities for pupils to speak Welsh all the time
P7 Consultation with pupils on a new Welsh Medium Primary School in the Pembroke area for ages 3-11
Ysgol Caer Elen (Uwchradd)
Number of pupils in the group: 34
Questions:
Proposal to build a new Welsh medium primary school in the Pembroke area
I do not feel strongly either way 4
I support the proposal 29 I do not support the proposal 1
Pupil Comments:
I would like to see a new Welsh school but what will happen to the teachers? Where will the School be built?
79